diff --git a/docs/agents.md b/docs/agents.md
index 4b076eaff5..6e032e0bdd 100644
--- a/docs/agents.md
+++ b/docs/agents.md
@@ -553,8 +553,10 @@ store and stops it, keeping its key. The cleanup (`AgentsService.cleanup`, share
 helpers in `features/agents/relay-removal.ts`) then runs:
 
 1. An exact one-member 9001 (`h`, `p`, `client-id`) goes through the outbox for every
-   channel whose relay-signed 39002 roster lists the agent, plus the viewer's loaded
-   channels. Each channel's own fresh roster must then omit the agent.
+   unarchived channel whose relay-signed 39002 roster lists the agent, plus the
+   viewer's loaded unarchived channels. Each channel's own fresh roster must then omit
+   the agent. The relay refuses membership changes in an archived channel, so its
+   roster keeps the deleted agent.
 2. A fresh archive read runs; unless it already lists the identity, it is archived
    through the request path above when a consent path exists. An agent that never
    published an owner-attested profile has nothing to hide and is not archived.
diff --git a/src/features/agents/relay-removal.test.ts b/src/features/agents/relay-removal.test.ts
index 859bf4ac3f..4470f18917 100644
--- a/src/features/agents/relay-removal.test.ts
+++ b/src/features/agents/relay-removal.test.ts
@@ -147,6 +147,34 @@ it("a refused channel removal does not fail Remove or leave outbox work", async
   expect(instance.session.outbox?.snapshot()).toEqual([]);
 });
 
+it("skips archived channels, where the relay refuses membership changes", async () => {
+  const active = `${"a".repeat(8)}-channel`,
+    archived = `${"b".repeat(8)}-channel`;
+  const { fixture, instance } = setup(viewer, {
+    [active]: [agent.pubkey, viewer.pubkey],
+    [archived]: [agent.pubkey, viewer.pubkey],
+  });
+  fixture.archivedChannels.add(archived);
+  const loaded = [
+    { id: active, members: [agent.pubkey] },
+    { id: archived, members: [agent.pubkey] },
+  ];
+  await removeAgentFromChannels(
+    {
+      ...instance.session,
+      channels: { list: () => ({ channels: loaded }) },
+    } as unknown as typeof instance.session,
+    agent.pubkey,
+    new AbortController().signal,
+  );
+  expect(fixture.published.map((event) => event.tags[0])).toEqual([
+    ["h", active],
+  ]);
+  expect(fixture.channels[active]).not.toContain(agent.pubkey);
+  expect(fixture.channels[archived]).toContain(agent.pubkey);
+  expect(instance.session.outbox?.snapshot()).toEqual([]);
+});
+
 it("signs a new channel removal instead of resending one the relay would refuse as stale", async () => {
   const { fixture, instance } = setup();
   const removeFromChannels = () =>
diff --git a/src/features/agents/relay-removal.ts b/src/features/agents/relay-removal.ts
index 75e126a79e..b355cf2493 100644
--- a/src/features/agents/relay-removal.ts
+++ b/src/features/agents/relay-removal.ts
@@ -151,22 +151,23 @@ export async function deleteAgentRecord(
 }
 
 /** Base Buzz `removeAgentFromAllChannels` over the relay's rosters for this
- * agent plus the viewer's loaded channels. Resolves only once a fresh relay
- * read lists the agent in none of them; any refusal or unknown outcome throws
- * after every channel operation has settled. */
+ * agent plus the viewer's loaded channels, skipping archived ones. Resolves
+ * only once a fresh relay read lists the agent in none of them; any refusal or
+ * unknown outcome throws after every channel operation has settled. */
 export async function removeAgentFromChannels(
   session: Pick<RelaySession, "outbox" | "channels" | "channelWrites">,
   pubkey: string,
   signal: AbortSignal,
 ) {
-  const pending = new Set([
-    ...(await session.channelWrites.memberChannels(pubkey, signal)),
-    ...session.channels
+  const pending = await session.channelWrites.memberChannels(
+    pubkey,
+    signal,
+    session.channels
       .list()
       .channels.filter((channel) => channel.members?.includes(pubkey))
       .map((channel) => channel.id),
-  ]);
-  if (!pending.size) return;
+  );
+  if (!pending.length) return;
   const outbox = session.outbox;
   if (!outbox?.supports(9001))
     throw new Error("This community cannot remove agents from channels.");
@@ -223,9 +224,7 @@ export async function removeAgentFromChannels(
   // Confirm each channel against its own fresh roster: a cached loaded roster
   // may still list the agent after the relay removed it.
   const listed = await Promise.all(
-    [...pending].map((id) =>
-      session.channelWrites.listsMember(id, pubkey, signal),
-    ),
+    pending.map((id) => session.channelWrites.listsMember(id, pubkey, signal)),
   );
   const remaining = listed.filter(Boolean);
   if (remaining.length)
diff --git a/src/features/relay/channel-writes.ts b/src/features/relay/channel-writes.ts
index 7488056404..f942c4d832 100644
--- a/src/features/relay/channel-writes.ts
+++ b/src/features/relay/channel-writes.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { canonicalDetailsName } from "./channel-details-protocol";
+import { exactLifecycleTag } from "./channel-lifecycle-protocol";
 import { channelIdentityUnsupported, channelLabelTags } from "./channel-labels";
 import { SOLO_NAMED_LABEL, SOLO_LABEL } from "../solo/labels";
 import type { Outbox } from "./outbox";
@@ -341,9 +342,15 @@ export function createChannelWrites(
       );
     return channel;
   }
-  /** Channel IDs whose relay-signed roster lists `pubkey`, as far as this viewer
-   * may read. Throws rather than return a possibly truncated set. */
-  async function memberChannels(pubkey: string, caller: AbortSignal) {
+  /** Unarchived channel IDs among `candidates` and those whose relay-signed
+   * roster lists `pubkey`, as far as this viewer may read. The relay refuses
+   * membership changes in an archived channel, where a membership is inert.
+   * Throws rather than return a possibly truncated set. */
+  async function memberChannels(
+    pubkey: string,
+    caller: AbortSignal,
+    candidates: Iterable<string>,
+  ) {
     if (!relayAuthor) throw new Error("Channel membership is unavailable.");
     const limit = 500;
     const events = await discovery.read(
@@ -364,7 +371,7 @@ export function createChannelWrites(
     );
     if (events.length >= limit)
       throw new Error("Too many channels to confirm. Retry later.");
-    const ids = new Set<string>();
+    const ids = new Set(candidates);
     for (const event of events) {
       const id = event.tags.find(([name]) => name === "d")?.[1];
       if (
@@ -375,6 +382,33 @@ export function createChannelWrites(
       )
         ids.add(id);
     }
+    if (!ids.size) return [];
+    const metadata = await discovery.read(
+      [
+        {
+          kinds: [39000],
+          authors: [relayAuthor],
+          "#d": [...ids],
+          limit: ids.size,
+          consistency: "strong",
+        },
+      ],
+      {
+        signal: AbortSignal.any([signal, caller]),
+        fresh: true,
+        priority: "foreground",
+      },
+    );
+    for (const event of metadata) {
+      const id = event.tags.find(([name]) => name === "d")?.[1];
+      if (
+        id &&
+        event.kind === 39000 &&
+        event.pubkey === relayAuthor &&
+        exactLifecycleTag(event, "archived") === "true"
+      )
+        ids.delete(id);
+    }
     return [...ids];
   }
   /** Whether this channel's current relay-signed roster lists `pubkey`. Throws
diff --git a/src/features/relay/testing.ts b/src/features/relay/testing.ts
index 799f39db18..b98aa1db09 100644
--- a/src/features/relay/testing.ts
+++ b/src/features/relay/testing.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import {
   type EventTemplate,
 } from "nostr-tools";
 import type { ReadFilter, RelayEvent } from "./events";
+import { PublishRejected } from "./outbox";
 import type { ReadTransport, Signer } from "./transport";
 
 /** Test-only signing helpers. Real signatures so the transport's verification stays on. */
@@ -175,6 +176,8 @@ export function archiveRelay(
   channels: Record<string, string[]> = {},
 ) {
   const archived = new Set<string>();
+  /** Channel IDs whose metadata is archived; the relay refuses 9001 there. */
+  const archivedChannels = new Set<string>();
   /** NIP-09 coordinates the relay accepted for deletion. */
   const deleted = new Set<string>();
   const published: RelayEvent[] = [];
@@ -241,6 +244,7 @@ export function archiveRelay(
                 tags: [
                   ["d", id],
                   ["name", id.slice(0, 8)],
+                  ...(archivedChannels.has(id) ? [["archived", "true"]] : []),
                 ],
               }),
             );
@@ -276,6 +280,10 @@ export function archiveRelay(
         }
         const tag = (name: string) =>
           event.tags.find(([key]) => key === name)?.[1] ?? "";
+        if (archivedChannels.has(tag("h"))) {
+          published.pop();
+          throw new PublishRejected("invalid: channel is archived");
+        }
         channels[tag("h")] = (channels[tag("h")] ?? []).filter(
           (key) => key !== tag("p"),
         );
@@ -317,6 +325,7 @@ export function archiveRelay(
     signedBy,
     script,
     channels,
+    archivedChannels,
     removal,
     deleted,
   };