diff --git a/docs/pro-runtime-hardening-workboard.md b/docs/pro-runtime-hardening-workboard.md
index 0a46e29..9b393ae 100644
--- a/docs/pro-runtime-hardening-workboard.md
+++ b/docs/pro-runtime-hardening-workboard.md
@@ -274,6 +274,7 @@ Einführen eines klaren Betriebsmodells mit Fault-, Recovery- und Muted-Zuständ
 ## Fortschritt
 - EngineStats liefert das Runtime-State-Feld (`idle`, `arming`, `prebuffering`, `running`) und reagiert nun auf Queue-Gesundheit bzw. späte Buffers, indem es bei `low`/`critical` oder späten Buffern in `degraded` wechselt und sonst auf `running` zurückkehrt.
 - `evaluateRuntimeState` escalates persistent `critical` queues from `degraded` to `muted`, while `FaultReasonQueueCritical` surfaces `muted` severity so the mute transition stays observable.
+- `evaluateRuntimeState` now waits for a short healthy streak before leaving `muted`, logging a degraded-severity recovery event once the queue settles.
 
 ## Zielzustände laut Konzept
 - `idle`
diff --git a/internal/app/engine.go b/internal/app/engine.go
index a33edc7..d294ca4 100644
--- a/internal/app/engine.go
+++ b/internal/app/engine.go
@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@ const (
 	lateBufferIndicatorWindow    = 5 * time.Second
 	queueCriticalStreakThreshold = 3
 	queueMutedStreakThreshold    = queueCriticalStreakThreshold * 2
+	queueMutedRecoveryThreshold  = queueCriticalStreakThreshold
 	faultRepeatWindow            = 1 * time.Second
 	faultHistoryCapacity         = 8
 )
@@ -123,20 +124,21 @@ type Engine struct {
 	wg           sync.WaitGroup
 	runtimeState atomic.Value
 
-	chunksProduced    atomic.Uint64
-	totalSamples      atomic.Uint64
-	underruns         atomic.Uint64
-	lateBuffers       atomic.Uint64
-	lateBufferAlertAt atomic.Uint64
-	criticalStreak    atomic.Uint64
-	maxCycleNs        atomic.Uint64
-	maxGenerateNs     atomic.Uint64
-	maxUpsampleNs     atomic.Uint64
-	maxWriteNs        atomic.Uint64
-	lastError         atomic.Value // string
-	lastFault         atomic.Value // *FaultEvent
-	faultHistoryMu    sync.Mutex
-	faultHistory      []FaultEvent
+	chunksProduced      atomic.Uint64
+	totalSamples        atomic.Uint64
+	underruns           atomic.Uint64
+	lateBuffers         atomic.Uint64
+	lateBufferAlertAt   atomic.Uint64
+	criticalStreak      atomic.Uint64
+	mutedRecoveryStreak atomic.Uint64
+	maxCycleNs          atomic.Uint64
+	maxGenerateNs       atomic.Uint64
+	maxUpsampleNs       atomic.Uint64
+	maxWriteNs          atomic.Uint64
+	lastError           atomic.Value // string
+	lastFault           atomic.Value // *FaultEvent
+	faultHistoryMu      sync.Mutex
+	faultHistory        []FaultEvent
 
 	// Live config: pending frequency change, applied between chunks
 	pendingFreq atomic.Pointer[float64]
@@ -658,6 +660,18 @@ func (e *Engine) evaluateRuntimeState(queue output.QueueStats, hasLateBuffers bo
 	switch state {
 	case RuntimeStateStopping, RuntimeStateFaulted:
 		return
+	case RuntimeStateMuted:
+		if queue.Health == output.QueueHealthNormal && !hasLateBuffers {
+			if count := e.mutedRecoveryStreak.Add(1); count >= queueMutedRecoveryThreshold {
+				e.mutedRecoveryStreak.Store(0)
+				e.recordFault(FaultReasonQueueCritical, FaultSeverityDegraded,
+					fmt.Sprintf("queue healthy for %d checks after mute", count))
+				e.setRuntimeState(RuntimeStateDegraded)
+			}
+		} else {
+			e.mutedRecoveryStreak.Store(0)
+		}
+		return
 	}
 	if state == RuntimeStatePrebuffering {
 		if queue.Depth >= 1 {
diff --git a/internal/app/runtime_state_test.go b/internal/app/runtime_state_test.go
index 744a36b..36d8e6f 100644
--- a/internal/app/runtime_state_test.go
+++ b/internal/app/runtime_state_test.go
@@ -69,14 +69,43 @@ func TestEngineRuntimeStateMuteOnPersistentQueueCritical(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected muted after prolonged queue critical, got %s", got)
 	}
 
-	last := e.LastFault()
-	if last == nil {
+	muteFault := e.LastFault()
+	if muteFault == nil {
 		t.Fatal("expected fault recorded for the mute transition")
 	}
-	if last.Reason != FaultReasonQueueCritical {
-		t.Fatalf("expected queue critical reason, got %s", last.Reason)
+	if muteFault.Reason != FaultReasonQueueCritical {
+		t.Fatalf("expected queue critical reason, got %s", muteFault.Reason)
 	}
-	if last.Severity != FaultSeverityMuted {
-		t.Fatalf("expected muted severity, got %s", last.Severity)
+	if muteFault.Severity != FaultSeverityMuted {
+		t.Fatalf("expected muted severity, got %s", muteFault.Severity)
+	}
+
+	queue.Health = output.QueueHealthNormal
+	for i := 0; i < queueMutedRecoveryThreshold-1; i++ {
+		e.evaluateRuntimeState(queue, false)
+		if got := e.currentRuntimeState(); got != RuntimeStateMuted {
+			t.Fatalf("expected still muted while recovery window builds, got %s", got)
+		}
+	}
+
+	e.evaluateRuntimeState(queue, false)
+	if got := e.currentRuntimeState(); got != RuntimeStateDegraded {
+		t.Fatalf("expected degrade once mute recovery threshold reached, got %s", got)
+	}
+
+	recoveryFault := e.LastFault()
+	if recoveryFault == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected recovery fault entry after leaving mute")
+	}
+	if recoveryFault.Severity != FaultSeverityDegraded {
+		t.Fatalf("expected degraded severity for recovery event, got %s", recoveryFault.Severity)
+	}
+	if recoveryFault.Reason != FaultReasonQueueCritical {
+		t.Fatalf("expected queue critical reason for recovery event, got %s", recoveryFault.Reason)
+	}
+
+	e.evaluateRuntimeState(queue, false)
+	if got := e.currentRuntimeState(); got != RuntimeStateRunning {
+		t.Fatalf("expected running after recovery, got %s", got)
 	}
 }