diff --git a/src/db.ts b/src/db.ts
index 406db7f..41b0878 100644
--- a/src/db.ts
+++ b/src/db.ts
@@ -410,6 +410,7 @@ export class Store {
 
   removeRoom(code: string): void {
     this.db.transaction(() => {
+      this.db.query('DELETE FROM agent_invites WHERE code = ?').run(code)
       this.db.query('DELETE FROM rooms WHERE code = ?').run(code)
       this.db.query('DELETE FROM room_events WHERE code = ?').run(code)
       this.db.query('DELETE FROM transcript_lines WHERE code = ?').run(code)
@@ -610,6 +611,11 @@ export class Store {
     return (this.db.query('SELECT * FROM agent_invites WHERE code = ? ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT ?').all(code, limit) as any[]).map((r) => this.toInvite(r)!)
   }
 
+  /** Agents ever invited to this room are its standing team roster. */
+  roomAgentRoster(code: string): { agent: string; sub: string }[] {
+    return this.db.query('SELECT agent, MAX(sub) AS sub FROM agent_invites WHERE code = ? GROUP BY agent ORDER BY agent').all(code) as { agent: string; sub: string }[]
+  }
+
   // ---- room passes -------------------------------------------------------
 
   private toPass(r: any): Pass | null {
diff --git a/src/service.ts b/src/service.ts
index 748982b..07cb7a1 100644
--- a/src/service.ts
+++ b/src/service.ts
@@ -1170,15 +1170,11 @@ export class GroupCallService {
       return
     }
     const room = this.store.room(code)
-    if (room && shown.kind === 'person') {
-      // An invitee leaves after three minutes if nobody has arrived. Bring that
-      // team back when the host joins, rather than leaving stale names behind.
-      for (const previous of this.store.invites(code, 50)) {
-        if (previous.status !== 'done' || !/\b(?:nobody came|everyone else left)\b/i.test(previous.note) || Date.now() - previous.createdAt > 15 * 60_000) continue
-        if (AGENTS[previous.agent]) {
-          this.store.finishInvite(previous.id, 'done', 'requeued after host arrival')
-          this.queueAgent(room, previous.agent, previous.sub)
-        }
+    if (room && this.isRoomHost(room, who, shown)) {
+      // The invited agents are a standing room roster. Dial them only after the
+      // owner/host arrives; they never wait in an empty room.
+      for (const member of this.store.roomAgentRoster(code)) {
+        if (AGENTS[member.agent]) this.queueAgent(room, member.agent, member.sub)
       }
     }
     const greeter = room?.greeter
@@ -1191,6 +1187,15 @@ export class GroupCallService {
     }, 45_000).unref?.()
   }
 
+  private isRoomHost(room: Room, participant: Participant, shown: ReturnType<typeof shownParticipant>): boolean {
+    if (shown.kind !== 'person') return false
+    if (room.host?.startsWith('+')) return Boolean(participant.from && normalNumber(participant.from) === normalNumber(room.host))
+    if (room.host) return shown.name.toLowerCase().includes(room.host.toLowerCase())
+    const owner = this.store.user(room.sub)
+    const known = shown.trusted && owner?.name && owner.name.toLowerCase().startsWith(shown.name.toLowerCase())
+    return Boolean(known)
+  }
+
   // ---- our voice agents' tools -------------------------------------------------
 
   /**
@@ -1464,7 +1469,11 @@ export class GroupCallService {
   private maybeGreet(code: string, who: Participant): void {
     const room = this.store.room(code)
     if (!room?.greeter || !AGENTS[room.greeter]) return
-    if (shownParticipant(who, this.agentNumbers, this.config.knownCallers, this.calledIn).kind !== 'person') return
+    const shown = shownParticipant(who, this.agentNumbers, this.config.knownCallers, this.calledIn)
+    if (shown.kind !== 'person') return
+    // A room with a standing team waits for its owner; the receptionist is part
+    // of that team and must not come in early for another caller.
+    if (this.store.roomAgentRoster(code).length || this.isRoomHost(room, who, shown)) return
     if (this.hostHere(code)) return
     if (this.live(code).some((p) => p.name === room.greeter)) return
     const open = this.store.openInvite(code, room.greeter)
diff --git a/test/app.test.ts b/test/app.test.ts
index 2e0034a..b87afbb 100644
--- a/test/app.test.ts
+++ b/test/app.test.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { createHmac, generateKeyPairSync, sign as signMessage } from 'node:crypt
 import { signWebhook } from '@profullstack/coinpay-onboard'
 import { createApp } from '../src/server.ts'
 import { Sealer, Store } from '../src/db.ts'
-import { FREE_ROOMS, telLink } from '../src/service.ts'
+import { AGENTS, FREE_ROOMS, telLink } from '../src/service.ts'
 
 /** An ed25519 pair standing in for the Telnyx account's, so a test can sign webhooks. */
 function telnyxKeys() {
@@ -472,26 +472,28 @@ test('an invite stuck "dialling" from an agent that never arrived does not block
   expect(store.invite(first.id)?.status).toBe('failed')
 })
 
-test('agents who timed out or left before the host returned are dialled back into the room', async () => {
-  const { call, event, store, telnyx } = setup({ agentSip: { riotcoder: 'sip:+15106169327@sip.rtc.elevenlabs.io', coinpay: 'sip:+15106169328@sip.rtc.elevenlabs.io' } })
-  const room = (await (await call('gc_op', 'POST', '/api/v1/rooms', { name: 'Late host' })).json()) as any
-  const expired = store.addInvite({ code: room.code, agent: 'riotcoder', sub: 'sub-op' })
-  store.finishInvite(expired.id, 'done', 'on the call 182 s, nobody came')
-  const left = store.addInvite({ code: room.code, agent: 'coinpay', sub: 'sub-op' })
-  store.finishInvite(left.id, 'done', 'on the call 182 s, everyone else left')
-
-  await event('call.initiated', { call_control_id: 'late-host', direction: 'incoming', from: '+15550001111' })
-  await event('call.gather.ended', { call_control_id: 'late-host', digits: room.code })
-
-  expect(store.invite(expired.id)?.note).toBe('requeued after host arrival')
-  expect(store.invite(left.id)?.note).toBe('requeued after host arrival')
-  expect(store.invites(room.code, 10).some((invite) => invite.id !== expired.id && invite.agent === 'riotcoder')).toBe(true)
-  expect(store.invites(room.code, 10).some((invite) => invite.id !== left.id && invite.agent === 'coinpay')).toBe(true)
-  expect(telnyx.calls.some((c) => c.path === '/calls' && c.body.to.includes('sip.rtc.elevenlabs.io'))).toBe(true)
-
-  await event('call.initiated', { call_control_id: 'second-host', direction: 'incoming', from: '+15550001112' })
-  await event('call.gather.ended', { call_control_id: 'second-host', digits: room.code })
-  expect(telnyx.calls.filter((c) => c.path === '/calls')).toHaveLength(2)
+test('a room brings its standing agent team in only after the owner joins', async () => {
+  const ownerPhone = '+14086562473'
+  const { call, event, store, svc, op } = setup({ knownCallers: { [ownerPhone]: 'Anthony' } })
+  const room = (await (await call('gc_op', 'POST', '/api/v1/rooms', { name: 'Team room' })).json()) as any
+  await call('gc_op', 'POST', `/api/v1/rooms/${room.code}/greeter`, { agent: 'cha0spunk' })
+  const original = new Set<string>()
+  for (const agent of Object.keys(AGENTS)) {
+    const invite = svc.inviteAgent(op, room.code, agent)
+    original.add(invite.id)
+    store.finishInvite(invite.id, 'done', 'previous call ended', Date.now() - 30 * 60_000)
+    store.db.query('UPDATE agent_invites SET created_at = ? WHERE id = ?').run(Date.now() - 30 * 60_000, invite.id)
+  }
+  expect(svc.nextInvite()).toBeNull()
+
+  await event('call.initiated', { call_control_id: 'guest-first', direction: 'incoming', from: '+15550001111' })
+  await event('call.gather.ended', { call_control_id: 'guest-first', digits: room.code })
+  expect(svc.nextInvite()).toBeNull()
+
+  await event('call.initiated', { call_control_id: 'room-owner', direction: 'incoming', from: ownerPhone })
+  await event('call.gather.ended', { call_control_id: 'room-owner', digits: room.code })
+  const queued = store.invites(room.code, 50).filter((invite) => !original.has(invite.id) && invite.status === 'queued')
+  expect(queued.map((invite) => invite.agent).sort()).toEqual(Object.keys(AGENTS).sort())
 })
 
 test("a known caller is named, and agents can see which recent lines came from someone trusted", async () => {