diff --git a/Notes Watch App/Connectivity/WatchTransferService.swift b/Notes Watch App/Connectivity/WatchTransferService.swift
index 6687d7e..5bb79e2 100644
--- a/Notes Watch App/Connectivity/WatchTransferService.swift	
+++ b/Notes Watch App/Connectivity/WatchTransferService.swift	
@@ -70,6 +70,16 @@ final class WatchTransferService: NSObject {
                           duration: meta?.duration ?? 0,
                           timeZoneID: meta?.timeZoneID)
         }
+        // Sweep sidecars whose audio file is gone (e.g. a simulator "recording"
+        // that never produced a file) so they don't linger forever.
+        let audioBases = Set(entries.filter { $0.pathExtension == "m4a" }
+            .map { $0.deletingPathExtension().lastPathComponent })
+        for sidecar in entries where sidecar.lastPathComponent.hasSuffix(".meta.plist") {
+            let base = sidecar.lastPathComponent.replacingOccurrences(of: ".meta.plist", with: "")
+            if !audioBases.contains(base) {
+                try? fm.removeItem(at: sidecar)
+            }
+        }
         refreshPendingCount()
     }
 
diff --git a/Notes Watch App/NotesWatchApp.swift b/Notes Watch App/NotesWatchApp.swift
index c0c8733..5fa5ef3 100644
--- a/Notes Watch App/NotesWatchApp.swift	
+++ b/Notes Watch App/NotesWatchApp.swift	
@@ -11,7 +11,15 @@ struct NotesWatchApp: App {
                 RecordView()
             }
             .environment(services)
-            .task { services.bootstrap() }
+            .task {
+                services.bootstrap()
+                #if DEBUG
+                // CLI-driven repro of the record button (simctl launch … autorecord).
+                if ProcessInfo.processInfo.arguments.contains("autorecord") {
+                    await services.startRecording()
+                }
+                #endif
+            }
             .onOpenURL { url in services.handleDeepLink(url) }
         }
         .onChange(of: scenePhase) { _, phase in
diff --git a/Notes Watch App/Services/WatchAudioRecorder.swift b/Notes Watch App/Services/WatchAudioRecorder.swift
index 5241f81..3d13a21 100644
--- a/Notes Watch App/Services/WatchAudioRecorder.swift	
+++ b/Notes Watch App/Services/WatchAudioRecorder.swift	
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import AVFoundation
 import Foundation
 import IndieSync
+import OSLog
 import WatchKit
 
 /// Records a single voice note on the watch into a persisted
@@ -53,14 +54,16 @@ final class WatchAudioRecorder {
     /// Ask for microphone access, returning whether it was granted. Safe to call
     /// every time recording starts — the system only prompts once.
     func requestPermission() async -> Bool {
-        await AVAudioApplication.requestRecordPermission()
+        let granted = await AVAudioApplication.requestRecordPermission()
+        permissionDenied = !granted
+        return granted
     }
 
     /// Whether the mic has been explicitly denied, so the UI can show a jump to
-    /// Settings instead of a dead record button.
-    var permissionDenied: Bool {
-        AVAudioApplication.shared.recordPermission == .denied
-    }
+    /// Settings instead of a dead record button. Stored (not computed from
+    /// `AVAudioApplication.shared.recordPermission`) so Observation tracks it and
+    /// the UI actually flips to the denied state the moment a request is refused.
+    private(set) var permissionDenied = AVAudioApplication.shared.recordPermission == .denied
 
     /// Begin recording into a fresh `<ULID>.m4a`. A no-op if already recording.
     /// Throws if the audio session or recorder can't be configured.
@@ -111,6 +114,14 @@ final class WatchAudioRecorder {
         let recording = Recording(
             id: current.id, url: current.url, duration: duration, recordedAt: current.startedAt)
         teardown()
+        // The watch simulator has no audio input device: record() reports
+        // success and currentTime advances, but no file is ever written. Don't
+        // hand a phantom recording up to the transfer queue.
+        guard FileManager.default.fileExists(atPath: recording.url.path) else {
+            Logger(subsystem: "dev.rzen.indie.Notes.watchkitapp", category: "recording")
+                .warning("recording produced no file (simulator has no mic input?): \(recording.url.lastPathComponent, privacy: .public)")
+            return nil
+        }
         return recording
     }
 
diff --git a/Notes Watch App/WatchAppServices.swift b/Notes Watch App/WatchAppServices.swift
index 14adfe1..654e624 100644
--- a/Notes Watch App/WatchAppServices.swift	
+++ b/Notes Watch App/WatchAppServices.swift	
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import Foundation
 import Observation
+import OSLog
 import SwiftUI
 
 /// Composition root for the watch app. Owns the recorder and the transfer
@@ -31,12 +32,21 @@ final class WatchAppServices {
         }
     }
 
+    private let logger = Logger(subsystem: "dev.rzen.indie.Notes.watchkitapp", category: "recording")
+
     /// Request permission (once) then begin recording. A no-op if already
     /// recording or permission is refused.
     func startRecording() async {
         guard !recorder.isRecording else { return }
-        guard await recorder.requestPermission() else { return }
-        try? recorder.startRecording()
+        guard await recorder.requestPermission() else {
+            logger.warning("microphone permission refused")
+            return
+        }
+        do {
+            try recorder.startRecording()
+        } catch {
+            logger.error("could not start recording: \(error, privacy: .public)")
+        }
     }
 
     private func stopAndQueue() {