diff --git a/tests/plugins/test_kanban_ws_idle_disconnect.py b/tests/plugins/test_kanban_ws_idle_disconnect.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1c7e107f85
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/plugins/test_kanban_ws_idle_disconnect.py
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+"""Regression: kanban events WS must notice client disconnect on an idle board.
+
+Before the fix (#77833), ``stream_events`` only awaited ``asyncio.sleep``
+between DB polls, so a disconnect was detected solely when ``send_json``
+raised — which never happens on a board with no new events. Every closed
+dashboard tab therefore left a zombie poll task querying SQLite forever.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import asyncio
+import importlib.util
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+
+def _load_plugin_module():
+    repo_root = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
+    plugin_file = repo_root / "plugins" / "kanban" / "dashboard" / "plugin_api.py"
+    assert plugin_file.exists(), f"plugin file missing: {plugin_file}"
+    spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location(
+        "hermes_dashboard_plugin_kanban_ws_test", plugin_file,
+    )
+    assert spec is not None and spec.loader is not None
+    mod = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)
+    sys.modules[spec.name] = mod
+    spec.loader.exec_module(mod)
+    return mod
+
+
+class _IdleDisconnectingWebSocket:
+    """Accepts, then reports a client disconnect on the first receive()."""
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.accepted = False
+        self.sent: list[dict] = []
+        self.query_params: dict[str, str] = {}
+        self.receive_calls = 0
+
+    async def accept(self):
+        self.accepted = True
+
+    async def receive(self):
+        self.receive_calls += 1
+        return {"type": "websocket.disconnect"}
+
+    async def send_json(self, payload):
+        self.sent.append(payload)
+
+    async def close(self, code=None):
+        pass
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_stream_events_exits_on_idle_disconnect(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
+    mod = _load_plugin_module()
+    monkeypatch.setattr(mod, "_ws_upgrade_authorized", lambda ws: True)
+
+    ws = _IdleDisconnectingWebSocket()
+
+    # The disconnect must terminate the handler even though the board is idle
+    # and no event is ever sent. Before the fix this call never returned
+    # (the loop only slept between polls), so bound it with a timeout.
+    await asyncio.wait_for(mod.stream_events(ws), timeout=5)
+
+    assert ws.accepted
+    assert ws.receive_calls == 1
+    assert ws.sent == []  # returned before any poll, no zombie loop