diff --git a/hermes_state.py b/hermes_state.py
index 8854972428..2d00a1ffe2 100644
--- a/hermes_state.py
+++ b/hermes_state.py
@@ -931,13 +931,30 @@ class SessionDB(
 
     def _read_one(self, sql: str, params: Any = ()) -> Optional[sqlite3.Row]:
         """``fetchone()`` of one read-only statement via ``_read_ctx``."""
-        with self._read_ctx() as conn:
-            return conn.execute(sql, params).fetchone()
+        return self._read_retrying_ioerr(lambda conn: conn.execute(sql, params).fetchone())
 
     def _read_all(self, sql: str, params: Any = ()) -> List[sqlite3.Row]:
         """``fetchall()`` of one read-only statement via ``_read_ctx``."""
-        with self._read_ctx() as conn:
-            return conn.execute(sql, params).fetchall()
+        return self._read_retrying_ioerr(lambda conn: conn.execute(sql, params).fetchall())
+
+    def _read_retrying_ioerr(self, fn: Callable[[sqlite3.Connection], T]) -> T:
+        """Run an idempotent SELECT through ``_read_ctx``, retrying a transient SQLITE_IOERR.
+
+        A warm ``mode=ro`` pooled reader can hit the same millisecond-wide WAL transition window as a
+        read-only OPEN (#100436) when its statement executes or steps: a sibling process's checkpoint /
+        WAL reset / frame flush surfaces ``disk I/O error`` because a read-only connection cannot rewrite
+        the -shm index (#100871, WSL2 ext4-on-vhdx, multi-process). The window closes on its own, so
+        the statement is replayed on the SAME connection within the read-only IOERR budget -- never
+        closed and reopened (close() cancels this process's POSIX locks for every sibling connection),
+        never quarantined (busy is not broken). A persistent IOERR exhausts the budget and propagates."""
+        for attempt in range(_READ_ONLY_IOERR_RETRY_ATTEMPTS + 1):
+            try:
+                with self._read_ctx() as conn:
+                    return fn(conn)
+            except sqlite3.OperationalError as exc:
+                if attempt >= _READ_ONLY_IOERR_RETRY_ATTEMPTS or _DISK_IO_ERROR_MARKER not in str(exc).lower():
+                    raise
+                time.sleep(_READ_ONLY_IOERR_RETRY_BACKOFF_S)
 
     def _ensure_db_file_generation(self) -> None:
         """Mint a once-per-file generation stamp (state_meta + application_id). First opener wins (INSERT
diff --git a/tests/hermes_state/test_read_path_transient_ioerr.py b/tests/hermes_state/test_read_path_transient_ioerr.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ca2c80678e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/hermes_state/test_read_path_transient_ioerr.py
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+"""#100871: a transient SQLITE_IOERR on a warm pooled read connection is retried on the same
+connection, then surfaced -- never quarantined, never a close+reopen."""
+import sqlite3
+
+import pytest
+
+import hermes_state
+from hermes_state import SessionDB
+
+
+_STATE = {"failures_left": 0, "attempts": 0}  # module-level: the tracking factory subclasses _FlakyReads
+
+
+class _FlakyReads(sqlite3.Connection):
+    """Real SQLite connection whose first N SELECTs fail the way a mid-checkpoint mode=ro reader does."""
+
+    def execute(self, sql, *args, **kwargs):  # type: ignore[override]
+        if str(sql).lstrip().upper().startswith("SELECT"):
+            _STATE["attempts"] += 1
+            if _STATE["failures_left"] > 0:
+                _STATE["failures_left"] -= 1
+                raise sqlite3.OperationalError("disk I/O error")
+        return super().execute(sql, *args, **kwargs)
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def db(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.setattr(hermes_state, "_READ_ONLY_IOERR_RETRY_BACKOFF_S", 0.0)
+    db = SessionDB(db_path=tmp_path / "state.db")
+    db.create_session("s", "cli")
+    if not db._wal_active:
+        db.close()
+        pytest.skip("read pool needs WAL")
+    real_connect = hermes_state._connect_tracked_db
+
+    def flaky_connect(path, *args, **kwargs):
+        if str(path).startswith("file:"):
+            kwargs["factory"] = _FlakyReads
+        return real_connect(path, *args, **kwargs)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(hermes_state, "_connect_tracked_db", flaky_connect)
+    while db._evict_one_idle_read_conn():  # the next read opens through the flaky factory
+        pass
+    _STATE.update(failures_left=0, attempts=0)
+    yield db
+    db.close()
+
+
+def test_transient_ioerr_on_pooled_read_is_retried_on_the_same_connection(db):
+    _STATE["failures_left"] = 1
+    row = db.get_session("s")
+    assert row is not None and row["id"] == "s"
+    assert _STATE["attempts"] == 2  # one failure, one replay
+    assert db._db_corrupt is False and db._db_wal_generation_lost is False
+
+
+def test_persistent_ioerr_propagates_after_the_budget(db):
+    _STATE["failures_left"] = 10 ** 6
+    with pytest.raises(sqlite3.OperationalError, match="disk I/O error"):
+        db.get_session("s")
+    assert _STATE["attempts"] == hermes_state._READ_ONLY_IOERR_RETRY_ATTEMPTS + 1
+    assert db._db_corrupt is False  # busy/EIO is not corruption: no quarantine