diff --git a/Agent.md b/Agent.md
index d9ccd331..07f86773 100644
--- a/Agent.md
+++ b/Agent.md
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ Community needs voiced in HN agent-UI discussions map directly to EMRG's design:
 pkill -f "emrg.server"; rm -f ~/.emrg/emrgd.port; python -m emrg
 ```
 
-Python: `uv run pytest tests/ -v` (961) — import check: `uv run python -c "from emrg.client.app import run_client"`
+Python: `uv run pytest tests/ -v` (963) — import check: `uv run python -c "from emrg.client.app import run_client"`
 GUI: `cd emrg/gui && npm test` (260: 45 daemon_client + 19 conn-manager + 22 app-commands + 131 renderer smoke + 16 i18n + 7 integration + 3 commands + 8 build-config + 7 gui-state + 2 tool-group) — syntax: `node --check main.js preload.js daemon_client.js renderer/js/*.js`
 CI: `uv run pytest` (ubuntu + **windows-2025 matrix** — Windows pytest 回归在 PR CI 即失败，v0.2.29 教训 #725) + GUI tests + **actionlint workflow lint** (`rhysd/actionlint@v1.7.12` gate, #444 — workflow 解析错误在 PR CI 即失败，如 `if:` secrets 上下文)
 Re-trigger: `scripts/re-trigger-ci.sh [branch]` (workflow_dispatch, #527 — 替代空 commit 重触发：Actions outage 会整段丢弃 push 事件，dispatch 走 API 路径不受影响)
diff --git a/emrg/server/daemon.py b/emrg/server/daemon.py
index 298169cd..c938e89b 100644
--- a/emrg/server/daemon.py
+++ b/emrg/server/daemon.py
@@ -3000,12 +3000,20 @@ async def _latest_session_at(entry: dict) -> str:
 
                     ats = await asyncio.gather(*(_latest_session_at(e) for e in entries))
                     ordered = sorted(zip(entries, ats), key=lambda t: t[1], reverse=True)
+                    # rant 2026-08-19T01:05:47 — _detect_git_remote runs a sync
+                    # git subprocess per project; offload to worker threads so a
+                    # slow git probe never freezes the event loop (websocket
+                    # clients would otherwise time out during list_projects).
+                    repos = await asyncio.gather(*(
+                        asyncio.to_thread(_detect_git_remote, p.get("path", ""))
+                        for p, _ in ordered
+                    ))
                     projects = [
                         {"name": p.get("name", ""),
-                         "repo": _detect_git_remote(p.get("path", "")),
+                         "repo": repo,
                          "path": p.get("path", ""),
                          "latest_session_at": at}
-                        for p, at in ordered
+                        for (p, at), repo in zip(ordered, repos)
                     ]
         except (yaml.YAMLError, OSError):
             logger.exception("Failed to read projects.yml")
diff --git a/emrg/server/scheduler.py b/emrg/server/scheduler.py
index a903d6ce..ee97a269 100644
--- a/emrg/server/scheduler.py
+++ b/emrg/server/scheduler.py
@@ -1270,16 +1270,40 @@ def _tasks_file(self) -> Path:
     def _tasks_file(self, value: Path | None) -> None:
         self.__tasks_file = value
 
-    def _start_handler_for(self, cfg: dict) -> TaskHandler:
-        """Create + start a handler for a task cfg; returns the handler."""
+    def _build_handler(self, cfg: dict) -> TaskHandler:
+        """Construct a TaskHandler for a task cfg (pure sync construction).
+
+        May block briefly (git remote detection in ``TaskHandler.__init__``
+        + template lookup) — callers in the event loop must offload via
+        ``asyncio.to_thread`` (rant 2026-08-19T01:05:47: no blocking calls
+        in the loop).
+        """
         template_path = _resolve_task_template(cfg["type"])
-        handler = TaskHandler(
+        return TaskHandler(
             name=cfg["name"],
             config=cfg.get("config", {}),
             interval=cfg.get("interval", DEFAULT_INTERVAL),
             identity=self.identity,
             template_path=template_path,
         )
+
+    def _start_handler_for(self, cfg: dict) -> TaskHandler:
+        """Create + start a handler for a task cfg; returns the handler.
+
+        Boot path (no websocket clients connected yet) — sync construction
+        is acceptable here.
+        """
+        handler = self._build_handler(cfg)
+        self._handlers.append(handler)
+        self._handler_cfgs[handler.name] = cfg
+        self._coros.append(asyncio.create_task(handler.run()))
+        return handler
+
+    async def _start_handler_async(self, cfg: dict) -> TaskHandler:
+        """Hot-reload path (apply_tasks, on the event loop while serving):
+        offload the sync handler construction to a worker thread so a slow
+        git probe never freezes the loop (rant 2026-08-19T01:05:47)."""
+        handler = await asyncio.to_thread(self._build_handler, cfg)
         self._handlers.append(handler)
         self._handler_cfgs[handler.name] = cfg
         self._coros.append(asyncio.create_task(handler.run()))
@@ -1666,13 +1690,13 @@ async def apply_tasks(self, tasks: list[dict]) -> dict:
         for name, cfg in enabled.items():
             if name not in current:
                 added.append(name)
-                self._start_handler_for(cfg)
+                await self._start_handler_async(cfg)
             else:
                 old = self._handler_cfgs.get(name)
                 if old is not None and _task_cfg_signature(old) != _task_cfg_signature(cfg):
                     updated.append(name)
                     self._stop_handler(current[name])
-                    self._start_handler_for(cfg)
+                    await self._start_handler_async(cfg)
         return {"added": added, "removed": removed, "updated": updated}
 
     def list_templates(self) -> list[dict]:
diff --git a/tests/test_scheduler.py b/tests/test_scheduler.py
index 5fe62ca6..a54045c3 100644
--- a/tests/test_scheduler.py
+++ b/tests/test_scheduler.py
@@ -2193,6 +2193,38 @@ async def _run():
         mod.config_dir = orig
 
 
+def test_hot_reload_offloads_handler_construction_to_thread():
+    """rant 2026-08-19T01:05:47 — apply_tasks (hot reload, on the event loop
+    while serving websockets) must not run TaskHandler's sync git probe on
+    the loop. Construction goes through _start_handler_async →
+    asyncio.to_thread(_build_handler); the boot path keeps the sync
+    _start_handler_for (no clients connected yet)."""
+    import inspect
+
+    from emrg.server import scheduler as mod
+
+    sched_src = inspect.getsource(mod.TaskScheduler)
+    # apply_tasks awaits the async start path
+    assert "await self._start_handler_async(cfg)" in sched_src
+    # async start path offloads the sync construction
+    assert "asyncio.to_thread(self._build_handler, cfg)" in sched_src
+    # boot path unchanged (sync, pre-serve)
+    assert "handler = self._build_handler(cfg)" in sched_src
+    assert "def _start_handler_for(self, cfg: dict) -> TaskHandler:" in sched_src
+
+
+def test_daemon_projects_list_offloads_git_probe_to_thread():
+    """rant 2026-08-19T01:05:47 — the daemon's projects_list handler probes
+    each project's git remote with a sync subprocess; it must run in worker
+    threads (asyncio.to_thread) so a slow git probe never freezes the loop."""
+    from pathlib import Path as _Path
+
+    src = _Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent / "emrg" / "server" / "daemon.py"
+    content = src.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    assert "asyncio.to_thread(_detect_git_remote, p.get(\"path\", \"\"))" in content
+    assert "repos = await asyncio.gather(*(" in content
+
+
 def test_template_crud_and_guards(tmp_path):
     """Custom templates: create/list/update/delete; builtin read-only; delete-refused guard."""
     from emrg.server import scheduler as mod