diff --git a/src/browser_harness/daemon.py b/src/browser_harness/daemon.py
index 0f0f2555..6a92b3ba 100644
--- a/src/browser_harness/daemon.py
+++ b/src/browser_harness/daemon.py
@@ -179,6 +179,25 @@ def is_real_page(t):
     return t["type"] == "page" and not t.get("url", "").startswith(INTERNAL)
 
 
+STALE_SESSION_MARKERS = (
+    "Session with given id not found",
+)
+
+
+def _is_recoverable_current_session_error(msg, sid, current_session):
+    """True when daemon-owned re-attach is safe for a stale default session.
+
+    Recovery changes the daemon's default tab/session, so only do it for calls
+    that used the current default session. Browser-level calls (sid=None) and
+    caller-specified stale sessions should surface the original error instead.
+    """
+    return bool(
+        sid
+        and sid == current_session
+        and any(marker in (msg or "") for marker in STALE_SESSION_MARKERS)
+    )
+
+
 class Daemon:
     def __init__(self):
         self.cdp = None
@@ -349,7 +368,7 @@ async def disable_old():
             return {"result": await self.cdp.send_raw(method, params, session_id=sid)}
         except Exception as e:
             msg = str(e)
-            if "Session with given id not found" in msg and sid == self.session and sid:
+            if _is_recoverable_current_session_error(msg, sid, self.session):
                 log(f"stale session {sid}, re-attaching")
                 if await self.attach_first_page():
                     return {"result": await self.cdp.send_raw(method, params, session_id=self.session)}
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_daemon.py b/tests/unit/test_daemon.py
index 90c5bc85..f05b4522 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_daemon.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_daemon.py
@@ -245,6 +245,71 @@ async def run():
     )
 
 
+def test_recoverable_current_session_error_requires_current_default_session():
+    """Stale-session recovery is only safe for the daemon's current default
+    session. Browser-level calls and explicit stale session IDs should surface
+    their original error instead of silently changing the caller's target."""
+    assert daemon._is_recoverable_current_session_error(
+        "Session with given id not found", "session-A", "session-A"
+    ) is True
+    assert daemon._is_recoverable_current_session_error(
+        "Session with given id not found", None, "session-A"
+    ) is False
+    assert daemon._is_recoverable_current_session_error(
+        "Session with given id not found", "session-OLD", "session-NEW"
+    ) is False
+    assert daemon._is_recoverable_current_session_error(
+        "CDP WS handshake failed", "session-A", "session-A"
+    ) is False
+
+
+def test_handle_reattaches_and_retries_current_session_after_stale_error():
+    """First contract slice for #352: if a renderer-bound helper uses the
+    daemon's current session and Chrome reports that session as stale, the
+    daemon owns re-attach + retry so callers don't need per-helper recovery."""
+    class _StaleOnceCDP(_FakeCDP):
+        def __init__(self):
+            super().__init__()
+            self.failed_once = False
+
+        async def send_raw(self, method, params=None, session_id=None):
+            self.calls.append((method, params, session_id))
+            if (
+                method == "Runtime.evaluate"
+                and session_id == "session-OLD"
+                and not self.failed_once
+            ):
+                self.failed_once = True
+                raise RuntimeError("Session with given id not found")
+            if method == "Runtime.evaluate" and session_id == "session-NEW":
+                return {"type": "number", "value": 2}
+            return {}
+
+    async def run():
+        d = daemon.Daemon()
+        d.cdp = _StaleOnceCDP()
+        d.session = "session-OLD"
+        d.target_id = "target-OLD"
+
+        async def attach_first_page():
+            d.session = "session-NEW"
+            d.target_id = "target-NEW"
+            return {"targetId": "target-NEW", "type": "page", "url": "about:blank"}
+
+        d.attach_first_page = attach_first_page
+        result = await d.handle({
+            "method": "Runtime.evaluate",
+            "params": {"expression": "1 + 1"},
+        })
+        return result, d.cdp.calls
+
+    result, calls = asyncio.run(run())
+
+    assert result == {"result": {"type": "number", "value": 2}}
+    runtime_sessions = [sid for (method, _params, sid) in calls if method == "Runtime.evaluate"]
+    assert runtime_sessions == ["session-OLD", "session-NEW"]
+
+
 def test_current_tab_meta_passes_attached_target_id():
     """Regression for issue #304: helpers.current_tab() previously sent
     Target.getTargetInfo with no targetId. The daemon strips session_id for