diff --git a/contributors/emails/luc@provencher.family b/contributors/emails/luc@provencher.family
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..b3d1853787d7c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contributors/emails/luc@provencher.family
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Rroven
+# PR #107701 test co-author
diff --git a/hermes_cli/web_server_lifecycle.py b/hermes_cli/web_server_lifecycle.py
index 14b554628cd0e..3664d934a6ca0 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/web_server_lifecycle.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/web_server_lifecycle.py
@@ -168,18 +168,17 @@ def _resolve_restart_drain_timeout() -> float:
 
 
 def _eager_reconcile_own_session_db() -> None:
-    """One writable open of this process's own state.db at startup.
-
-    ``SessionDB.__init__`` runs ``_init_schema`` → ``_reconcile_columns`` with
-    open-time lock patience. Never raises: an unfixable store still gets the
-    per-poll read-probe heal in :func:`_open_session_db_at_path`.
+    """Heal a stale schema in this process's own state.db at startup — read-only, so the dashboard
+    never becomes a second writable owner beside the gateway (a writable open ran full schema init
+    plus a close-time checkpoint against its writer). Access-mode semantics: see
+    :func:`hermes_cli.web_server_sessions._open_session_db_at_path`. Never raises: an unfixable
+    store still gets the per-poll read-probe heal.
     """
     try:
-        from hermes_state import _default_db_path
-        from hermes_state_registry import acquire, release_or_close
+        from hermes_cli.web_server_sessions import _open_session_db_for_profile
+        from hermes_state_registry import release_or_close
 
-        db = acquire(Path(_default_db_path()))
-        release_or_close(db)
+        release_or_close(_open_session_db_for_profile(None, read_only=True))
     except Exception as exc:
         _log.warning(
             "startup schema reconcile of state.db failed (%s); session "
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_web_server.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_web_server.py
index 72242e27b154d..27e056250f523 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_web_server.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_web_server.py
@@ -581,6 +581,33 @@ def boom(*args, **kwargs):
         # Must swallow — reads fall back to the per-poll probe heal.
         _web_server_lifecycle._eager_reconcile_own_session_db()
 
+    def test_startup_eager_reconcile_opens_read_only(self, monkeypatch):
+        """A healthy store gets a read-only open (no second writable owner) and the handle is
+        released. The stale-schema heal is covered by test_startup_eager_reconcile_heals_stale_store."""
+        from pathlib import Path
+
+        import hermes_state
+        import hermes_cli.web_server_sessions as _web_server_sessions
+
+        calls = []
+        closed = []
+
+        def fake_open(db_path: Path, *, read_only: bool):
+            calls.append((str(db_path), read_only))
+            return SimpleNamespace(close=lambda: closed.append(True))
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(hermes_state, "_default_db_path", lambda: "/tmp/fake-state.db")
+        monkeypatch.setattr(
+            _web_server_sessions, "_open_session_db_at_path", fake_open,
+        )
+
+        _web_server_lifecycle._eager_reconcile_own_session_db()
+
+        assert calls == [("/tmp/fake-state.db", True)], (
+            "eager reconcile must open state.db read-only on a healthy store"
+        )
+        assert closed == [True], "the startup handle must be released, not leaked"
+
     def test_heal_gives_up_when_reconcile_cannot_fix_the_store(self, monkeypatch):
         """A probe failure reconciliation can't cure must not retry forever.