diff --git a/node/src/db.ts b/node/src/db.ts
index b37c331..0a368ec 100644
--- a/node/src/db.ts
+++ b/node/src/db.ts
@@ -52,6 +52,16 @@ function nowIso(): string {
 
 export type RenameFailure = "invalid" | "source-missing" | "target-exists";
 
+export type WaitResult =
+  | { kind: "message"; message: MessageRow }
+  | { kind: "timeout" }
+  | { kind: "renamed"; to: string }
+  | { kind: "aborted" };
+
+interface Waiter {
+  resolve: (result: WaitResult) => void;
+}
+
 export class RenameError extends Error {
   constructor(message: string, public readonly reason: RenameFailure) {
     super(message);
@@ -84,6 +94,7 @@ function runInTransaction<T>(db: DatabaseSync, fn: () => T): T {
 
 export class MailboxStore {
   private readonly db: DatabaseSync;
+  private readonly waiters = new Map<string, Set<Waiter>>();
 
   private readonly stmts: {
     findMailbox: StatementSync;
@@ -101,6 +112,7 @@ export class MailboxStore {
     findStaleCandidates: StatementSync;
     deleteMessagesForNames: StatementSync;
     deleteMailboxesByNames: StatementSync;
+    selectOnePending: StatementSync;
   };
 
   constructor(public readonly dbPath: string) {
@@ -162,6 +174,9 @@ export class MailboxStore {
       deleteMailboxesByNames: this.db.prepare(
         "DELETE FROM mailboxes WHERE name IN (SELECT value FROM json_each(?))",
       ),
+      selectOnePending: this.db.prepare(
+        "SELECT * FROM messages WHERE to_mailbox = ? AND delivered_at IS NULL ORDER BY id LIMIT 1",
+      ),
     };
   }
 
@@ -169,6 +184,16 @@ export class MailboxStore {
     this.db.close();
   }
 
+  private consumeOne(name: string): MessageRow | null {
+    return runInTransaction(this.db, () => {
+      const row = this.stmts.selectOnePending.get(name) as MessageRow | undefined;
+      if (!row) return null;
+      const deliveredAt = nowIso();
+      this.stmts.markDelivered.run(deliveredAt, JSON.stringify([row.id]));
+      return { ...row, delivered_at: deliveredAt };
+    });
+  }
+
   upsertMailbox(name: string): void {
     const now = nowIso();
     const existing = this.stmts.findMailbox.get(name) as unknown as MailboxRow | undefined;
@@ -180,13 +205,15 @@ export class MailboxStore {
   }
 
   send(from: string, to: string, body: string): { id: number; queuedAt: Date } {
-    return runInTransaction(this.db, () => {
+    const result = runInTransaction(this.db, () => {
       this.upsertMailbox(from);
       this.upsertMailbox(to);
       const createdAt = nowIso();
-      const result = this.stmts.insertMessage.run(to, from, body, createdAt);
-      return { id: Number(result.lastInsertRowid), queuedAt: new Date(createdAt) };
+      const insert = this.stmts.insertMessage.run(to, from, body, createdAt);
+      return { id: Number(insert.lastInsertRowid), queuedAt: new Date(createdAt) };
     });
+    this.notifyOneWaiter(to);
+    return result;
   }
 
   peek(name: string): InboxStatus {
@@ -207,6 +234,72 @@ export class MailboxStore {
     });
   }
 
+  waitForMessage(name: string, timeoutMs: number, signal: AbortSignal): Promise<WaitResult> {
+    const existing = this.consumeOne(name);
+    if (existing) return Promise.resolve({ kind: "message" as const, message: existing });
+
+    if (signal.aborted) return Promise.resolve({ kind: "aborted" as const });
+
+    return new Promise<WaitResult>((resolve) => {
+      const waiter: Waiter = { resolve };
+      let bucket = this.waiters.get(name);
+      if (!bucket) {
+        bucket = new Set();
+        this.waiters.set(name, bucket);
+      }
+      bucket.add(waiter);
+
+      const cleanup = (): void => {
+        const b = this.waiters.get(name);
+        if (b) {
+          b.delete(waiter);
+          if (b.size === 0) this.waiters.delete(name);
+        }
+      };
+
+      const timer = setTimeout(() => {
+        cleanup();
+        resolve({ kind: "timeout" });
+      }, timeoutMs);
+
+      signal.addEventListener(
+        "abort",
+        () => {
+          clearTimeout(timer);
+          cleanup();
+          resolve({ kind: "aborted" });
+        },
+        { once: true },
+      );
+    });
+  }
+
+  private notifyOneWaiter(name: string): void {
+    const bucket = this.waiters.get(name);
+    if (!bucket || bucket.size === 0) return;
+    const first = bucket.values().next().value;
+    if (!first) return;
+    const msg = this.consumeOne(name);
+    if (!msg) return;
+    bucket.delete(first);
+    if (bucket.size === 0) this.waiters.delete(name);
+    first.resolve({ kind: "message", message: msg });
+  }
+
+  private notifyRenamed(oldName: string, newName: string): void {
+    const bucket = this.waiters.get(oldName);
+    if (!bucket) return;
+    for (const w of bucket) w.resolve({ kind: "renamed", to: newName });
+    this.waiters.delete(oldName);
+  }
+
+  rejectAllWaiters(): void {
+    for (const bucket of this.waiters.values()) {
+      for (const w of bucket) w.resolve({ kind: "aborted" });
+    }
+    this.waiters.clear();
+  }
+
   rename(from: string, to: string): { from: string; to: string; messagesTransferred: number } {
     const oldName = from.trim();
     const newName = to.trim();
@@ -217,7 +310,7 @@ export class MailboxStore {
       return { from: oldName, to: newName, messagesTransferred: 0 };
     }
 
-    return runInTransaction(this.db, () => {
+    const result = runInTransaction(this.db, () => {
       const source = this.stmts.findMailbox.get(oldName) as unknown as MailboxRow | undefined;
       if (!source) throw new RenameError(`Mailbox '${oldName}' does not exist.`, "source-missing");
       const target = this.stmts.findMailbox.get(newName) as unknown as MailboxRow | undefined;
@@ -234,6 +327,8 @@ export class MailboxStore {
       this.db.prepare("DELETE FROM mailboxes WHERE name = ?").run(oldName);
       return { from: oldName, to: newName, messagesTransferred: Number(movedTo.changes ?? 0) };
     });
+    this.notifyRenamed(oldName, newName);
+    return result;
   }
 
   listMailboxes(forName?: string, options?: { hideAfterMinutes?: number }): MailboxInfo[] {
diff --git a/node/tests/db-watch.test.ts b/node/tests/db-watch.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b81bee6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/node/tests/db-watch.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from "vitest";
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from "node:fs";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { MailboxStore } from "../src/db.js";
+
+let dir: string;
+let store: MailboxStore;
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "claude-mailbox-wait-"));
+  store = new MailboxStore(join(dir, "test.db"));
+});
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  store.close();
+  rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+});
+
+describe("MailboxStore.waitForMessage", () => {
+  it("returns an already-pending message immediately", async () => {
+    store.upsertMailbox("alice");
+    store.upsertMailbox("bob");
+    store.send("alice", "bob", "hello");
+
+    const ac = new AbortController();
+    const result = await store.waitForMessage("bob", 1000, ac.signal);
+    expect(result.kind).toBe("message");
+    if (result.kind === "message") {
+      expect(result.message.body).toBe("hello");
+      expect(result.message.from_mailbox).toBe("alice");
+      expect(result.message.delivered_at).not.toBeNull();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("blocks until a message arrives, then resolves", async () => {
+    store.upsertMailbox("alice");
+    store.upsertMailbox("bob");
+
+    const ac = new AbortController();
+    const pending = store.waitForMessage("bob", 5000, ac.signal);
+
+    setTimeout(() => store.send("alice", "bob", "later"), 50);
+
+    const result = await pending;
+    expect(result.kind).toBe("message");
+    if (result.kind === "message") expect(result.message.body).toBe("later");
+  });
+
+  it("resolves with timeout when nothing arrives", async () => {
+    store.upsertMailbox("bob");
+    const ac = new AbortController();
+    const result = await store.waitForMessage("bob", 80, ac.signal);
+    expect(result.kind).toBe("timeout");
+  });
+
+  it("resolves with aborted when the signal fires", async () => {
+    store.upsertMailbox("bob");
+    const ac = new AbortController();
+    const pending = store.waitForMessage("bob", 5000, ac.signal);
+    setTimeout(() => ac.abort(), 30);
+    const result = await pending;
+    expect(result.kind).toBe("aborted");
+  });
+
+  it("resolves with renamed when the mailbox is renamed mid-wait", async () => {
+    store.upsertMailbox("oldname");
+    const ac = new AbortController();
+    const pending = store.waitForMessage("oldname", 5000, ac.signal);
+    setTimeout(() => store.rename("oldname", "newname"), 30);
+    const result = await pending;
+    expect(result.kind).toBe("renamed");
+    if (result.kind === "renamed") expect(result.to).toBe("newname");
+  });
+
+  it("FIFO single-delivery: two waiters, one send, only the first gets the message", async () => {
+    store.upsertMailbox("alice");
+    store.upsertMailbox("bob");
+
+    const ac1 = new AbortController();
+    const ac2 = new AbortController();
+    const w1 = store.waitForMessage("bob", 5000, ac1.signal);
+    // Stagger so w1 registers first.
+    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 10));
+    const w2 = store.waitForMessage("bob", 200, ac2.signal);
+
+    store.send("alice", "bob", "for-w1");
+
+    const [r1, r2] = await Promise.all([w1, w2]);
+    expect(r1.kind).toBe("message");
+    if (r1.kind === "message") expect(r1.message.body).toBe("for-w1");
+    expect(r2.kind).toBe("timeout");
+  });
+
+  it("two pending messages are drained by two reconnecting waiters", async () => {
+    store.upsertMailbox("alice");
+    store.upsertMailbox("bob");
+    store.send("alice", "bob", "m1");
+    store.send("alice", "bob", "m2");
+
+    const ac = new AbortController();
+    const r1 = await store.waitForMessage("bob", 1000, ac.signal);
+    const r2 = await store.waitForMessage("bob", 1000, ac.signal);
+    expect(r1.kind).toBe("message");
+    expect(r2.kind).toBe("message");
+    if (r1.kind === "message" && r2.kind === "message") {
+      expect([r1.message.body, r2.message.body]).toEqual(["m1", "m2"]);
+    }
+  });
+});