diff --git a/docs/architecture/control-plane-db-substrate.md b/docs/architecture/control-plane-db-substrate.md
index b82536d..0d1d6fa 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/control-plane-db-substrate.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/control-plane-db-substrate.md
@@ -14,12 +14,13 @@
 
 | Capability | Notes |
 |------------|--------|
-| Schema | `sessions`, `work_items`, `leases`, `assignments`, `terminal_locks`, `events`, `incident_links` |
+| Schema | `sessions`, `work_items`, `leases`, `assignments`, `terminal_locks`, `events`, `incident_links`, `session_checkpoints` |
 | Atomic assign+lease | `ControlPlaneDB.assign_and_lease` — one `BEGIN IMMEDIATE` transaction |
 | Mutation gate | `require_valid_assignment` — live lease + allowed action + non-terminal work + non-stale head |
 | Heartbeat / release / expire | Lease lifecycle helpers |
 | Terminal-lock index | Routing signal for #600 (terminal path first) |
 | `incident_links` | Provider-neutral link model for #612 — **not** assignable work; scope keys NULL-safe |
+| `session_checkpoints` | Durable session resume state for #660 — redacted at write, reconciled (never restored) on boot |
 
 ## Hard rules (enforced in code)
 
@@ -92,6 +93,44 @@ Module: `incident_bridge.py` · MCP tools: `gitea_observability_*`
 - Provider tokens never appear in issue bodies, links, or tool results.
 - Allocator sees bridge work only after a Gitea issue exists.
 
+## Session checkpoints (#660)
+
+Module: `control_plane_db.py` · Table: `session_checkpoints` · Parent **#655** · Soft-depends **#659** · Vision **#652** · Roadmap **#653**
+
+Workflow state that lived only in MCP process memory or chat did not survive a restart, so session identity, stage, lease ownership, and the next valid action had to be reconstructed by hand. The `session_checkpoints` table makes that state durable.
+
+### Schema version
+
+Rows carry `checkpoint_schema_version` (currently **5**, tracking the module-level `SCHEMA_VERSION`), so a reader can tell which field set a record was written under. The row identity is
+`UNIQUE (remote, org, repo, session_id, work_kind, work_number)` — one current-state row per session per work unit, upserted rather than appended. A session-level checkpoint that is not bound to an issue or PR uses the `work_number = 0` sentinel with an empty `work_kind`.
+
+| Group | Columns |
+|-------|---------|
+| Identity | `session_id`, `provider_identity`, `role`, `remote`/`org`/`repo` |
+| Work unit | `work_kind` (`issue`/`pr`/empty), `work_number`, `worktree_path`, `branch`, `head_sha` |
+| Ownership | `capabilities` (JSON), `lease_id`, `assignment_id` |
+| Progress | `workflow_stage`, `last_completed_action`, `current_operation`, `pending_mutation` (JSON) |
+| Recovery | `evidence` (JSON), `blocker`, `next_valid_action`, `recovery_instructions` |
+| Bookkeeping | `checkpoint_schema_version`, `status`, `created_at`, `updated_at` |
+
+### API
+
+| Method | Purpose |
+|--------|---------|
+| `write_session_checkpoint` | Upsert the current-state row; redacts, and optionally enforces drain completeness |
+| `get_session_checkpoint` | Read one checkpoint by session + work unit |
+| `list_session_checkpoints` | List checkpoints by session or by work unit |
+| `reconcile_session_checkpoint` | Pure diagnosis of a stored checkpoint against live head/lease state |
+| `checkpoint_completeness` | Pure — the drain-required fields missing from a record |
+
+### Hard rules
+
+1. **Redaction at write.** Free-text columns are redaction-filtered and JSON columns are redacted recursively before storage, so a pasted token or credential URL cannot land in a checkpoint. Secrets are never stored (#660 AC4).
+2. **Reconcile, never blind-restore.** `reconcile_session_checkpoint` returns a diagnosis (`stale`, `head_mismatch`, `lease_mismatch`, `reconcile_action`) and the caller decides. A stored head that no longer matches live Git, or a lease that is gone or reassigned, marks the checkpoint stale (#660 AC3).
+3. **Unknown live state is not a mismatch.** A `None` live input means "not checked" and never flags staleness on its own.
+4. **Drain fails closed.** A write with `require_complete=True` refuses when any of `session_id`, `role`, `workflow_stage`, `next_valid_action`, `recovery_instructions` is missing or blank, so drain cannot complete on a checkpoint that could not resume.
+5. **No transcript storage.** Checkpoints hold resume state, not conversation history.
+
 ## Non-goals (intentionally deferred)
 
 - Full unsupervised watchdog auto-filing (prefer explicit reconcile first)