diff --git a/server/src/chat/transport/matrix/bot/messages/on_room_message.rs b/server/src/chat/transport/matrix/bot/messages/on_room_message.rs
index 5e5a1ca6..0d3659e0 100644
--- a/server/src/chat/transport/matrix/bot/messages/on_room_message.rs
+++ b/server/src/chat/transport/matrix/bot/messages/on_room_message.rs
@@ -482,6 +482,14 @@ pub(in crate::chat::transport::matrix::bot) async fn on_room_message(
             "help",
             "ambient",
             "reset",
+            // `compact` is a gateway-local session command (sibling of `reset`):
+            // it distills THIS gateway's chat session transcript. It must be
+            // listed here so the gateway does not proxy it to the active
+            // project's sled (which has no compact command and no-ops) — that
+            // proxy runs before the local compact interception, so a missing
+            // entry silently swallows the command (bug: compact no-op in
+            // gateway mode, distinct from the 1192/1205 registry-ordering bug).
+            "compact",
             "switch",
             "all_status",
             "new",