diff --git a/src/gateway/server-channels.ts b/src/gateway/server-channels.ts
index 1ed225054..edab0e9f2 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server-channels.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server-channels.ts
@@ -4,10 +4,19 @@ import type { createSubsystemLogger } from "../logging/subsystem.js";
 import type { RuntimeEnv } from "../runtime.js";
 import { resolveChannelDefaultAccountId } from "../channels/plugins/helpers.js";
 import { type ChannelId, getChannelPlugin, listChannelPlugins } from "../channels/plugins/index.js";
+import { type BackoffPolicy, computeBackoff, sleepWithAbort } from "../infra/backoff.js";
 import { formatErrorMessage } from "../infra/errors.js";
 import { resetDirectoryCache } from "../infra/outbound/target-resolver.js";
 import { DEFAULT_ACCOUNT_ID } from "../routing/session-key.js";
 
+const CHANNEL_RESTART_POLICY: BackoffPolicy = {
+  initialMs: 5_000,
+  maxMs: 5 * 60_000,
+  factor: 2,
+  jitter: 0.1,
+};
+const MAX_RESTART_ATTEMPTS = 10;
+
 export type ChannelRuntimeSnapshot = {
   channels: Partial<Record<ChannelId, ChannelAccountSnapshot>>;
   channelAccounts: Partial<Record<ChannelId, Record<string, ChannelAccountSnapshot>>>;
@@ -58,6 +67,8 @@ export type ChannelManager = {
   startChannel: (channel: ChannelId, accountId?: string) => Promise<void>;
   stopChannel: (channel: ChannelId, accountId?: string) => Promise<void>;
   markChannelLoggedOut: (channelId: ChannelId, cleared: boolean, accountId?: string) => void;
+  isManuallyStopped: (channelId: ChannelId, accountId: string) => boolean;
+  resetRestartAttempts: (channelId: ChannelId, accountId: string) => void;
 };
 
 // Channel docking: lifecycle hooks (`plugin.gateway`) flow through this manager.
@@ -65,6 +76,12 @@ export function createChannelManager(opts: ChannelManagerOptions): ChannelManage
   const { loadConfig, channelLogs, channelRuntimeEnvs } = opts;
 
   const channelStores = new Map<ChannelId, ChannelRuntimeStore>();
+  // Tracks restart attempts per channel:account. Reset on successful start.
+  const restartAttempts = new Map<string, number>();
+  // Tracks accounts that were manually stopped so we don't auto-restart them.
+  const manuallyStopped = new Set<string>();
+
+  const restartKey = (channelId: ChannelId, accountId: string) => `${channelId}:${accountId}`;
 
   const getStore = (channelId: ChannelId): ChannelRuntimeStore => {
     const existing = channelStores.get(channelId);
@@ -138,13 +155,18 @@ export function createChannelManager(opts: ChannelManagerOptions): ChannelManage
           return;
         }
 
+        const rKey = restartKey(channelId, id);
+        manuallyStopped.delete(rKey);
+
         const abort = new AbortController();
         store.aborts.set(id, abort);
+        restartAttempts.delete(rKey);
         setRuntime(channelId, id, {
           accountId: id,
           running: true,
           lastStartAt: Date.now(),
           lastError: null,
+          reconnectAttempts: 0,
         });
 
         const log = channelLogs[channelId];
@@ -172,6 +194,31 @@ export function createChannelManager(opts: ChannelManagerOptions): ChannelManage
               running: false,
               lastStopAt: Date.now(),
             });
+          })
+          .then(async () => {
+            if (manuallyStopped.has(rKey)) {
+              return;
+            }
+            const attempt = (restartAttempts.get(rKey) ?? 0) + 1;
+            restartAttempts.set(rKey, attempt);
+            if (attempt > MAX_RESTART_ATTEMPTS) {
+              log.error?.(`[${id}] giving up after ${MAX_RESTART_ATTEMPTS} restart attempts`);
+              return;
+            }
+            const delayMs = computeBackoff(CHANNEL_RESTART_POLICY, attempt);
+            log.info?.(
+              `[${id}] auto-restart attempt ${attempt}/${MAX_RESTART_ATTEMPTS} in ${Math.round(delayMs / 1000)}s`,
+            );
+            setRuntime(channelId, id, {
+              accountId: id,
+              reconnectAttempts: attempt,
+            });
+            try {
+              await sleepWithAbort(delayMs);
+              await startChannel(channelId, id);
+            } catch {
+              // abort or startup failure — next crash will retry
+            }
           });
         store.tasks.set(id, tracked);
       }),
@@ -203,6 +250,7 @@ export function createChannelManager(opts: ChannelManagerOptions): ChannelManage
         if (!abort && !task && !plugin?.gateway?.stopAccount) {
           return;
         }
+        manuallyStopped.add(restartKey(channelId, id));
         abort?.abort();
         if (plugin?.gateway?.stopAccount) {
           const account = plugin.config.resolveAccount(cfg, id);
@@ -302,11 +350,21 @@ export function createChannelManager(opts: ChannelManagerOptions): ChannelManage
     return { channels, channelAccounts };
   };
 
+  const isManuallyStopped_ = (channelId: ChannelId, accountId: string): boolean => {
+    return manuallyStopped.has(restartKey(channelId, accountId));
+  };
+
+  const resetRestartAttempts_ = (channelId: ChannelId, accountId: string): void => {
+    restartAttempts.delete(restartKey(channelId, accountId));
+  };
+
   return {
     getRuntimeSnapshot,
     startChannels,
     startChannel,
     stopChannel,
     markChannelLoggedOut,
+    isManuallyStopped: isManuallyStopped_,
+    resetRestartAttempts: resetRestartAttempts_,
   };
 }