diff --git a/open-sse/services/fusion.ts b/open-sse/services/fusion.ts
index d089186823..000f5a21c5 100644
--- a/open-sse/services/fusion.ts
+++ b/open-sse/services/fusion.ts
@@ -354,14 +354,31 @@ export async function handleFusionChat({
     // surviving panel answer, rather than silently substituting the panel
     // member for the configured judge (issue #6455). The judge still adds
     // value reviewing/polishing a lone source per its documented contract.
+  }
+
+  // Resolve the judge that ACTUALLY runs synthesis. An explicit judgeModel is
+  // honored as configured (operator intent — kept even if it was down during
+  // fan-out; that's the operator's choice). With NO explicit judge the judge
+  // defaulted to panel[0] — but panel[0] may have FAILED fan-out (timeout /
+  // rate-limit / dropped straggler → it lands in `failures`, not `answers`).
+  // Handing synthesis to a dead panel[0] sinks the whole request despite a
+  // healthy quorum — exactly the case fusion exists to tolerate. So pick a
+  // SURVIVOR: prefer panel[0] when it survived, otherwise the first survivor.
+  const effectiveJudge = hasExplicitJudge
+    ? judge
+    : answers.some((a) => a.model === panel[0])
+      ? panel[0]
+      : answers[0].model;
+
+  if (answers.length === 1) {
     log.info(
       "FUSION",
-      `Only ${answers[0].model} succeeded — judging single answer with ${judge}`
+      `Only ${answers[0].model} succeeded — judging single answer with ${effectiveJudge}`
     );
   }
 
   // 4. Judge analyzes + writes one final answer (streams to client if requested).
   const judgeBody = appendUserTurn(body, buildJudgePrompt(answers));
-  log.info("FUSION", `Judging ${answers.length} answers with ${judge}`);
-  return handleSingleModel(judgeBody, judge);
+  log.info("FUSION", `Judging ${answers.length} answers with ${effectiveJudge}`);
+  return handleSingleModel(judgeBody, effectiveJudge);
 }
diff --git a/tests/unit/fusion-judge-survivor.test.ts b/tests/unit/fusion-judge-survivor.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..22eb2e5bda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/fusion-judge-survivor.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+/**
+ * Regression test: with NO explicit judgeModel, the synthesis judge must be a
+ * SURVIVING panel member — never a panel[0] that failed fan-out.
+ *
+ * Bug: `handleFusionChat` fixed the default judge to `panel[0]` BEFORE fan-out
+ * and never reassigned it. When panel[0] timed out / was rate-limited / dropped
+ * as a straggler it landed in `failures`, not `answers` — yet the multi-answer
+ * synthesis path still dispatched `handleSingleModel(judgeBody, panel[0])`,
+ * handing synthesis to a dead model. The whole fusion request then errored even
+ * though a quorum of OTHER panel members succeeded — exactly the failure mode
+ * fusion exists to tolerate.
+ *
+ * Fix: when no explicit judge is configured, resolve the effective judge from a
+ * survivor (prefer panel[0] only when it survived, else the first survivor). An
+ * explicitly configured judge is still honored unchanged.
+ */
+
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import test from "node:test";
+
+import { handleFusionChat } from "../../open-sse/services/fusion.ts";
+
+const noop = () => {};
+const log = { info: noop, warn: noop, debug: noop, error: noop };
+
+type Body = Record<string, unknown>;
+
+function okResponse(content: string): Promise<Response> {
+  const body = JSON.stringify({
+    choices: [{ message: { role: "assistant", content } }],
+  });
+  return Promise.resolve(
+    new Response(body, {
+      status: 200,
+      headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
+    })
+  );
+}
+
+function errResponse(status: number): Promise<Response> {
+  const body = JSON.stringify({ error: { message: "boom" } });
+  return Promise.resolve(
+    new Response(body, {
+      status,
+      headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
+    })
+  );
+}
+
+const PANEL = ["prov/model-a", "prov/model-b", "prov/model-c"];
+
+test("fusion judge-survivor: no explicit judge + panel[0] fails fan-out → synthesis uses a surviving member, not the dead panel[0]", async () => {
+  const seen: string[] = [];
+  const handleSingleModel = (_b: Body, m: string) => {
+    seen.push(m);
+    // panel[0] (model-a) fails fan-out; B & C succeed.
+    if (m === "prov/model-a") return errResponse(429);
+    return okResponse(`ans-${m}`);
+  };
+
+  const res = await handleFusionChat({
+    body: { messages: [{ role: "user", content: "hi" }] },
+    models: PANEL,
+    handleSingleModel,
+    log,
+    // NO explicit judge — this is the default-judge path that was broken.
+    tuning: { minPanel: 1, stragglerGraceMs: 4000, panelHardTimeoutMs: 60000 },
+  });
+
+  assert.notEqual(
+    res.status,
+    503,
+    "a healthy quorum (B, C) must not error just because panel[0] died"
+  );
+  const body = (await res.clone().json()) as {
+    choices?: Array<{ message?: { content?: string } }>;
+  };
+  assert.ok(
+    (body.choices?.[0]?.message?.content ?? "").length > 0,
+    "must carry a real synthesized answer"
+  );
+
+  // The synthesis dispatch is the LAST handleSingleModel call.
+  const synthesisJudge = seen[seen.length - 1];
+  assert.notEqual(synthesisJudge, "prov/model-a", "judge must NOT be the failed panel[0]");
+  assert.ok(
+    synthesisJudge === "prov/model-b" || synthesisJudge === "prov/model-c",
+    `judge must be a survivor (B or C), got ${synthesisJudge}`
+  );
+});
+
+test("fusion judge-survivor: no explicit judge + panel[0] survives → panel[0] is still chosen (existing-good case unchanged)", async () => {
+  const seen: string[] = [];
+  const handleSingleModel = (_b: Body, m: string) => {
+    seen.push(m);
+    // panel[0] (model-a) survives; model-b fails.
+    if (m === "prov/model-b") return errResponse(429);
+    return okResponse(`ans-${m}`);
+  };
+
+  const res = await handleFusionChat({
+    body: { messages: [{ role: "user", content: "hi" }] },
+    models: PANEL,
+    handleSingleModel,
+    log,
+    tuning: { minPanel: 1, stragglerGraceMs: 4000, panelHardTimeoutMs: 60000 },
+  });
+
+  assert.notEqual(res.status, 503);
+  assert.equal(
+    seen[seen.length - 1],
+    "prov/model-a",
+    "when panel[0] survives it remains the default judge"
+  );
+});
+
+test("fusion judge-survivor: explicit judge is honored unchanged even if it failed fan-out", async () => {
+  const seen: string[] = [];
+  const handleSingleModel = (_b: Body, m: string) => {
+    seen.push(m);
+    // The configured judge (model-a) fails fan-out; B & C succeed.
+    if (m === "prov/model-a") return errResponse(429);
+    return okResponse(`ans-${m}`);
+  };
+
+  const res = await handleFusionChat({
+    body: { messages: [{ role: "user", content: "hi" }] },
+    models: PANEL,
+    handleSingleModel,
+    log,
+    judgeModel: "prov/model-a", // explicit — operator intent is honored as-is.
+    tuning: { minPanel: 1, stragglerGraceMs: 4000, panelHardTimeoutMs: 60000 },
+  });
+
+  assert.notEqual(res.status, 503);
+  assert.equal(
+    seen[seen.length - 1],
+    "prov/model-a",
+    "an explicitly configured judge is dispatched unchanged (operator's choice)"
+  );
+});