diff --git a/internal/httpapi/approvals.go b/internal/httpapi/approvals.go
index 3de1ed1..bd48c0b 100644
--- a/internal/httpapi/approvals.go
+++ b/internal/httpapi/approvals.go
@@ -229,6 +229,33 @@ func (s *Server) DecideApproval(ctx context.Context, req gen.DecideApprovalReque
 		_, _ = tx.Exec(ctx, `UPDATE executions SET status = $2, completed_at = now() WHERE approval_id = $1 AND status = 'pending_approval'`, id, status)
 	}
 
+	// If this execution belongs to a nomos session, flip it out of
+	// awaiting_input — the counterpart to classifyAndGate flipping it IN
+	// the moment the approval was created (internal/mcp/server.go's
+	// markSessionAwaitingApproval). Runs for all three decisions (approve/
+	// deny/revoke): each one is an operator answer to "what do I do about
+	// this?", same as answerQuestion's unconditional resume-to-executing
+	// (cmd/nomos/store.go) for a session_questions answer.
+	var awaitingSessionID string
+	_ = tx.QueryRow(ctx, `
+		SELECT pe.session_id FROM nomos_plan_executions pe
+		JOIN executions ex ON ex.entity_id = pe.execution_id
+		WHERE ex.approval_id = $1
+		LIMIT 1`, id).Scan(&awaitingSessionID)
+	if awaitingSessionID != "" {
+		if rtag, rerr := tx.Exec(ctx, `
+			UPDATE agent_sessions SET status = 'executing', last_active_at = now()
+			WHERE id = $1 AND status = 'awaiting_input'`, awaitingSessionID); rerr == nil && rtag.RowsAffected() > 0 {
+			var taskEntID *uuid.UUID
+			var e uuid.UUID
+			if qerr := tx.QueryRow(ctx, `SELECT entity_id FROM agent_sessions WHERE id = $1`, awaitingSessionID).Scan(&e); qerr == nil && e != uuid.Nil {
+				taskEntID = &e
+			}
+			_ = observability.Event(ctx, q, "task.status", taskEntID, "info", "api", awaitingSessionID,
+				map[string]any{"status": "executing", "reason": "approval_decided", "decision": status})
+		}
+	}
+
 	if err := tx.Commit(ctx); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/internal/mcp/server.go b/internal/mcp/server.go
index 2d479b0..f25ffaf 100644
--- a/internal/mcp/server.go
+++ b/internal/mcp/server.go
@@ -778,6 +778,7 @@ func classifyAndGate(ctx context.Context, pool *db.Pool, agentID, targetID uuid.
 
 	pool.Exec(ctx, `UPDATE executions SET status='pending_approval', risk_class=$2 WHERE entity_id=$1`, id, riskClass)
 	createApproval(ctx, pool, id, targetID, "run", string(runParams), riskClass)
+	markSessionAwaitingApproval(ctx, pool, sessionID)
 	confirmNote := ""
 	if riskClass == policy.RiskDestructive {
 		confirmNote = " This is classified DESTRUCTIVE — flag that clearly to the operator; it needs explicit confirmation, not just a casual \"go ahead\"."
@@ -1065,6 +1066,49 @@ func createApproval(ctx context.Context, pool *db.Pool, execID, targetID uuid.UU
 		map[string]any{"action": action, "params": params, "risk_class": riskClass})
 }
 
+// markSessionAwaitingApproval flips a session to awaiting_input the moment
+// one of its gated executions is queued for approval — mirrors what
+// askOperator does for session_questions (cmd/nomos/store.go's askOperator),
+// so a pending execution approval reads as "needs input" to both the
+// frontend's Overview board (which only checks agent_sessions.status) and
+// the idle-sweep safety net (staleGoalSessions, cmd/nomos/store.go, which
+// already excludes awaiting_input from its stale-task sweep). Before this, a
+// task blocked on a config_mutation/destructive approval just sat at
+// 'executing' — indistinguishable from a task still genuinely working — so
+// the idle sweep would eventually nudge it and then auto-close it with
+// outcome=partial while the approval was still sitting there undecided.
+// The httpapi package's DecideApproval flips the session back out once the
+// approval is approved/denied/revoked (internal/httpapi/approvals.go).
+//
+// No-op for sessionID=="" (a direct MCP call with no nomos session) or a
+// session that's already terminal/already awaiting_input — the status IN
+// guard makes this safe to call unconditionally from classifyAndGate.
+func markSessionAwaitingApproval(ctx context.Context, pool *db.Pool, sessionID string) {
+	if sessionID == "" || sessionID == "ephemeral" {
+		return
+	}
+	tag, err := pool.Exec(ctx, `
+		UPDATE agent_sessions SET status = 'awaiting_input', last_active_at = now()
+		WHERE id = $1 AND status IN ('active', 'planning', 'executing')`, sessionID)
+	if err != nil || tag.RowsAffected() == 0 {
+		return
+	}
+	_ = observability.Event(ctx, sqlcgen.New(pool), "task.status", sessionTaskEntity(ctx, pool, sessionID),
+		"info", "nomos", sessionID, map[string]any{"status": "awaiting_input", "reason": "execution_pending_approval"})
+}
+
+// sessionTaskEntity resolves a session's own task-entity id, for anchoring
+// events to the right node in the graph — mirrors cmd/nomos/store.go's
+// (unexported) taskEntityPtr; duplicated here since that's a different
+// package's private method.
+func sessionTaskEntity(ctx context.Context, pool *db.Pool, sessionID string) *uuid.UUID {
+	var id uuid.UUID
+	if err := pool.QueryRow(ctx, `SELECT entity_id FROM agent_sessions WHERE id = $1`, sessionID).Scan(&id); err != nil || id == uuid.Nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return &id
+}
+
 // inspectPathAcrossTargets is the bulk fact-gathering helper behind the
 // inspect_path MCP tool (plans/2026-07-18-session-review-three-sessions.md
 // P1.5). For each target slug, it runs a single read-only shell command