diff --git a/crates/maestro-protocol/src/lib.rs b/crates/maestro-protocol/src/lib.rs
index 7e83d5f..9748e62 100644
--- a/crates/maestro-protocol/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/maestro-protocol/src/lib.rs
@@ -536,6 +536,29 @@ pub struct SpawnPreset {
     pub resume_command: Option<String>,
 }
 
+/// Placeholder a preset's `resume_command` may carry for the agent's own
+/// conversation id (#165), substituted from [`Session::agent_session_id`].
+pub const AGENT_SESSION_PLACEHOLDER: &str = "{agent_session}";
+
+impl SpawnPreset {
+    /// The command that resumes a session spawned from this preset, with
+    /// [`AGENT_SESSION_PLACEHOLDER`] filled in from `agent_session`.
+    ///
+    /// `None` when the preset has no `resume_command` — a plain shell has
+    /// nothing to resume — and also when the template asks for an agent
+    /// session id the session never reported: `claude --resume` with an empty
+    /// id resumes nothing, so the caller is better off respawning the original
+    /// command than running a broken one.
+    pub fn resume_command_for(&self, agent_session: Option<&str>) -> Option<String> {
+        let template = self.resume_command.as_deref()?;
+        if !template.contains(AGENT_SESSION_PLACEHOLDER) {
+            return Some(template.to_string());
+        }
+        let id = agent_session.filter(|s| !s.is_empty())?;
+        Some(template.replace(AGENT_SESSION_PLACEHOLDER, id))
+    }
+}
+
 /// Build provenance of the running daemon: the commit it was compiled
 /// from and when that commit was authored.
 ///
@@ -785,6 +808,47 @@ pub enum ClientControl {
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
 
+    fn preset(resume: Option<&str>) -> SpawnPreset {
+        SpawnPreset {
+            id: "claude".into(),
+            label: "Claude".into(),
+            command: "claude".into(),
+            resume_command: resume.map(str::to_string),
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn resume_command_substitutes_the_agent_session() {
+        let p = preset(Some("claude --resume {agent_session}"));
+        assert_eq!(
+            p.resume_command_for(Some("abc-123")).as_deref(),
+            Some("claude --resume abc-123")
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn resume_command_without_a_placeholder_ignores_the_agent_session() {
+        let p = preset(Some("opencode --continue"));
+        assert_eq!(
+            p.resume_command_for(None).as_deref(),
+            Some("opencode --continue")
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// A template that wants an id the session never reported would run
+    /// `claude --resume` against nothing; the caller respawns instead.
+    #[test]
+    fn resume_command_is_none_without_the_id_it_asks_for() {
+        let p = preset(Some("claude --resume {agent_session}"));
+        assert!(p.resume_command_for(None).is_none());
+        assert!(p.resume_command_for(Some("")).is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn a_preset_without_a_resume_command_has_none() {
+        assert!(preset(None).resume_command_for(Some("abc")).is_none());
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn version_compatibility_is_major_only() {
         assert!(is_compatible(PROTOCOL_VERSION));
diff --git a/crates/maestro-protocol/src/routes.rs b/crates/maestro-protocol/src/routes.rs
index 1594df8..0a4baf4 100644
--- a/crates/maestro-protocol/src/routes.rs
+++ b/crates/maestro-protocol/src/routes.rs
@@ -66,6 +66,12 @@ pub fn session_focus(id: Uuid) -> String {
     format!("{SESSIONS}/{id}/focus")
 }
 
+/// `POST /api/sessions/:id/resume` (#166): respawn a dormant session under its
+/// own id, keeping its sidecar, name, worktree and `created_at`.
+pub fn session_resume(id: Uuid) -> String {
+    format!("{SESSIONS}/{id}/resume")
+}
+
 /// `WS /api/attach/:id` — raw PTY bytes.
 pub fn attach(id: Uuid) -> String {
     format!("{API_PREFIX}/attach/{id}")
@@ -79,6 +85,7 @@ pub mod patterns {
     pub const SESSION_INPUT: &str = "/api/sessions/:id/input";
     pub const SESSION_PROMPT: &str = "/api/sessions/:id/prompt";
     pub const SESSION_FOCUS: &str = "/api/sessions/:id/focus";
+    pub const SESSION_RESUME: &str = "/api/sessions/:id/resume";
     pub const ATTACH: &str = "/api/attach/:id";
 }
 
@@ -202,6 +209,10 @@ mod tests {
             session_focus(id()),
             "/api/sessions/6f1a7c0e-0f5e-4a2b-9a3d-6b1c2d3e4f50/focus"
         );
+        assert_eq!(
+            session_resume(id()),
+            "/api/sessions/6f1a7c0e-0f5e-4a2b-9a3d-6b1c2d3e4f50/resume"
+        );
         assert_eq!(
             attach(id()),
             "/api/attach/6f1a7c0e-0f5e-4a2b-9a3d-6b1c2d3e4f50"
@@ -236,6 +247,10 @@ mod tests {
             patterns::SESSION_FOCUS.trim_end_matches(":id/focus"),
             session(id()).trim_end_matches(&id().to_string())
         );
+        assert_eq!(
+            patterns::SESSION_RESUME.trim_end_matches(":id/resume"),
+            session(id()).trim_end_matches(&id().to_string())
+        );
         assert_eq!(
             patterns::ATTACH.trim_end_matches(":id"),
             attach(id()).trim_end_matches(&id().to_string())