diff --git a/backend/app/api/endpoints/session_handoffs.py b/backend/app/api/endpoints/session_handoffs.py
index 5e444bd2..5b62a3c5 100644
--- a/backend/app/api/endpoints/session_handoffs.py
+++ b/backend/app/api/endpoints/session_handoffs.py
@@ -1,19 +1,24 @@
 """Handoff endpoints — unified park/escalate.
 
-  POST   /ai-sessions/{id}/handoff              — Create handoff
+  POST   /ai-sessions/{id}/handoff               — Create handoff
   GET    /ai-sessions/{id}/handoffs              — Handoff history
   POST   /ai-sessions/{id}/handoffs/{hid}/claim  — Claim session
-  GET    /ai-sessions/queue                       — Team queue
+  GET    /ai-sessions/queue                      — Team queue
+  GET    /ai-sessions/escalations/stream         — SSE: live escalation arrivals
 """
+import asyncio
+import json
 import logging
-from typing import Annotated
+from typing import Annotated, AsyncGenerator
 from uuid import UUID
 
-from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, HTTPException, status
+from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, HTTPException, Request, status
+from fastapi.responses import StreamingResponse
 from sqlalchemy import select
 from sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio import AsyncSession
 
 from app.api.deps import get_current_active_user, get_db, require_engineer_or_admin
+from app.core.escalation_bus import bus as escalation_bus
 from app.models.user import User
 from app.models.ai_session import AISession
 from app.models.session_handoff import SessionHandoff
@@ -127,3 +132,80 @@ async def get_queue(
         team_id=current_user.team_id,
         account_id=current_user.account_id,
     )
+
+
+# ─── Live escalation arrivals (SSE) ──────────────────────────────────────────
+#
+# Streams `handoff_created` events to subscribers in the same account_id as
+# the new handoff. Connected EscalationQueue instances prepend the new card
+# with the locked 200ms slide-in. Account-scoped: cross-tenant leakage is
+# prevented at the bus.publish boundary (only handoff.account_id subscribers
+# are notified) and re-enforced here by binding the subscription to
+# current_user.account_id.
+#
+# Heartbeat: a `: keepalive\n\n` SSE comment every 25s keeps the connection
+# alive through Railway / nginx default 60s idle timeouts. Reconnect policy
+# is on the client (browser EventSource auto-reconnects; our fetch-based
+# reader retries with backoff).
+
+
+_HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL_S = 25
+_QUEUE_GET_TIMEOUT_S = 25  # < heartbeat so heartbeat fires reliably
+
+
+@queue_router.get("/escalations/stream")
+async def stream_escalations(
+    request: Request,
+    current_user: Annotated[User, Depends(require_engineer_or_admin)],
+):
+    """SSE stream of new escalation arrivals for the current user's account.
+
+    Role-gated to engineer/admin/owner so viewers can't subscribe (matches
+    the queue + claim role surface). One open connection per browser tab is
+    expected; the bus handles fan-out.
+    """
+    if not current_user.account_id:
+        raise HTTPException(
+            status_code=status.HTTP_403_FORBIDDEN, detail="No account"
+        )
+
+    account_id = current_user.account_id
+
+    async def event_generator() -> AsyncGenerator[str, None]:
+        queue = await escalation_bus.subscribe(account_id)
+        try:
+            # Initial hello so the client knows the stream is live.
+            yield (
+                "event: ready\n"
+                f"data: {json.dumps({'account_id': str(account_id)})}\n\n"
+            )
+
+            while True:
+                if await request.is_disconnected():
+                    break
+                try:
+                    event = await asyncio.wait_for(
+                        queue.get(), timeout=_QUEUE_GET_TIMEOUT_S
+                    )
+                except asyncio.TimeoutError:
+                    # Heartbeat keeps the connection alive through proxies.
+                    yield ": keepalive\n\n"
+                    continue
+
+                event_type = event.get("type", "message")
+                yield (
+                    f"event: {event_type}\n"
+                    f"data: {json.dumps(event)}\n\n"
+                )
+        finally:
+            await escalation_bus.unsubscribe(account_id, queue)
+
+    return StreamingResponse(
+        event_generator(),
+        media_type="text/event-stream",
+        headers={
+            "Cache-Control": "no-cache",
+            "Connection": "keep-alive",
+            "X-Accel-Buffering": "no",
+        },
+    )
diff --git a/backend/app/core/escalation_bus.py b/backend/app/core/escalation_bus.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bf623950
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/app/core/escalation_bus.py
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+"""In-memory pub/sub bus for live escalation events.
+
+Single-process, non-durable. When a handoff fires, every connected SSE
+subscriber for the same `account_id` receives the event. Subscribers come
+and go as senior techs open and close the EscalationQueue page.
+
+Pre-PMF scale (3 pilots × 5-20 techs/MSP = ~15-60 concurrent subscribers
+total, single Railway replica) makes in-memory the right call. When the
+deployment scales horizontally, swap this for Redis pub/sub or similar —
+the public surface (`publish` / `subscribe`) is intentionally narrow so
+the swap is local.
+
+Events are JSON-serializable dicts. `publish()` is non-blocking (drops the
+event if a subscriber's queue is full rather than back-pressuring the
+caller). `subscribe()` MUST be paired with `unsubscribe()` in a finally
+block, or you leak queues.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import asyncio
+import logging
+from typing import Any
+from uuid import UUID
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+# Bound how many unconsumed events can sit in a subscriber's queue before
+# we start dropping. 64 is generous for the queue-page use case; if a
+# subscriber is that far behind, they're probably gone or stuck.
+_QUEUE_MAXSIZE = 64
+
+
+class EscalationBus:
+    """Account-scoped pub/sub for escalation arrival events."""
+
+    def __init__(self) -> None:
+        self._subscribers: dict[UUID, set[asyncio.Queue[dict[str, Any]]]] = {}
+        self._lock = asyncio.Lock()
+
+    async def subscribe(self, account_id: UUID) -> asyncio.Queue[dict[str, Any]]:
+        """Register a new subscriber queue for an account.
+
+        Caller must invoke `unsubscribe(account_id, queue)` when the
+        consumer disconnects.
+        """
+        queue: asyncio.Queue[dict[str, Any]] = asyncio.Queue(
+            maxsize=_QUEUE_MAXSIZE
+        )
+        async with self._lock:
+            self._subscribers.setdefault(account_id, set()).add(queue)
+        return queue
+
+    async def unsubscribe(
+        self, account_id: UUID, queue: asyncio.Queue[dict[str, Any]]
+    ) -> None:
+        async with self._lock:
+            subs = self._subscribers.get(account_id)
+            if subs is None:
+                return
+            subs.discard(queue)
+            if not subs:
+                self._subscribers.pop(account_id, None)
+
+    async def publish(self, account_id: UUID, event: dict[str, Any]) -> int:
+        """Fan event out to every subscriber for `account_id`.
+
+        Returns the number of subscribers that successfully received the
+        event. Drops the event for any subscriber whose queue is full
+        (logs at warning level).
+        """
+        async with self._lock:
+            subs = list(self._subscribers.get(account_id, ()))
+        if not subs:
+            return 0
+        delivered = 0
+        for queue in subs:
+            try:
+                queue.put_nowait(event)
+                delivered += 1
+            except asyncio.QueueFull:
+                logger.warning(
+                    "EscalationBus: dropped event for full subscriber queue "
+                    "(account_id=%s, event=%s)",
+                    account_id,
+                    event.get("type", "?"),
+                )
+        return delivered
+
+    def subscriber_count(self, account_id: UUID) -> int:
+        """Diagnostic — number of active subscribers for an account."""
+        return len(self._subscribers.get(account_id, ()))
+
+
+# Module-level singleton. FastAPI imports this; `subscribe()` and `publish()`
+# are coroutine-safe via the internal Lock.
+bus = EscalationBus()
diff --git a/backend/app/services/handoff_manager.py b/backend/app/services/handoff_manager.py
index fedc8a74..bc3717f9 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/handoff_manager.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/handoff_manager.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ from sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio import AsyncSession
 
 from app.core.config import settings
 from app.core.email import EmailService
+from app.core.escalation_bus import bus as escalation_bus
 from app.models.ai_session import AISession
 from app.models.session_branch import SessionBranch
 from app.models.session_handoff import SessionHandoff
@@ -114,6 +115,29 @@ class HandoffManager:
         if handoff.intent != "escalate":
             return 0
 
+        # Publish to the in-memory bus first so connected senior-tech inboxes
+        # see the new card slide in within ~1s of escalate. This path is
+        # fire-and-forget (no IO, just memory) so it can sit ahead of the
+        # email fan-out.
+        try:
+            await escalation_bus.publish(
+                handoff.account_id,
+                {
+                    "type": "handoff_created",
+                    "handoff_id": str(handoff.id),
+                    "session_id": str(handoff.session_id),
+                    "priority": handoff.priority,
+                    "engineer_notes": handoff.engineer_notes or "",
+                    "created_at": handoff.created_at.isoformat()
+                    if handoff.created_at
+                    else None,
+                },
+            )
+        except Exception:
+            logger.exception(
+                "EscalationBus publish failed for handoff %s", handoff.id
+            )
+
         try:
             recipients = (
                 await self.db.execute(
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_escalation_bus.py b/backend/tests/test_escalation_bus.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..50d10f3c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/tests/test_escalation_bus.py
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+"""Unit tests for the in-memory escalation pub/sub bus."""
+import asyncio
+from uuid import uuid4
+
+import pytest
+
+from app.core.escalation_bus import EscalationBus
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_publish_with_no_subscribers_returns_zero():
+    bus = EscalationBus()
+    delivered = await bus.publish(uuid4(), {"type": "handoff_created"})
+    assert delivered == 0
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_subscribe_then_publish_delivers_event():
+    bus = EscalationBus()
+    account = uuid4()
+    queue = await bus.subscribe(account)
+    try:
+        delivered = await bus.publish(account, {"type": "handoff_created", "id": "x"})
+        assert delivered == 1
+        event = await asyncio.wait_for(queue.get(), timeout=1.0)
+        assert event == {"type": "handoff_created", "id": "x"}
+    finally:
+        await bus.unsubscribe(account, queue)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_two_subscribers_same_account_both_receive():
+    bus = EscalationBus()
+    account = uuid4()
+    q1 = await bus.subscribe(account)
+    q2 = await bus.subscribe(account)
+    try:
+        delivered = await bus.publish(account, {"type": "x"})
+        assert delivered == 2
+        e1 = await asyncio.wait_for(q1.get(), timeout=1.0)
+        e2 = await asyncio.wait_for(q2.get(), timeout=1.0)
+        assert e1 == e2 == {"type": "x"}
+    finally:
+        await bus.unsubscribe(account, q1)
+        await bus.unsubscribe(account, q2)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_subscriber_in_other_account_does_not_receive():
+    """Cross-tenant isolation is the whole point — sanity check it directly."""
+    bus = EscalationBus()
+    account_a = uuid4()
+    account_b = uuid4()
+    q_a = await bus.subscribe(account_a)
+    q_b = await bus.subscribe(account_b)
+    try:
+        delivered = await bus.publish(account_a, {"type": "x"})
+        assert delivered == 1
+
+        e_a = await asyncio.wait_for(q_a.get(), timeout=1.0)
+        assert e_a == {"type": "x"}
+
+        # B's queue must remain empty.
+        with pytest.raises(asyncio.TimeoutError):
+            await asyncio.wait_for(q_b.get(), timeout=0.1)
+    finally:
+        await bus.unsubscribe(account_a, q_a)
+        await bus.unsubscribe(account_b, q_b)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_unsubscribe_drops_subscriber_count_to_zero():
+    bus = EscalationBus()
+    account = uuid4()
+    q = await bus.subscribe(account)
+    assert bus.subscriber_count(account) == 1
+    await bus.unsubscribe(account, q)
+    assert bus.subscriber_count(account) == 0
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_publish_drops_events_when_subscriber_queue_is_full():
+    """A stuck subscriber must not back-pressure publishers."""
+    bus = EscalationBus()
+    account = uuid4()
+    queue = await bus.subscribe(account)
+    try:
+        # Stuff the queue past capacity (maxsize is 64) without consuming.
+        for _ in range(65):
+            await bus.publish(account, {"type": "x"})
+        # Sanity: queue holds at most maxsize.
+        assert queue.qsize() <= 64
+        # Publishes after capacity didn't raise — they were dropped silently.
+    finally:
+        await bus.unsubscribe(account, queue)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_unsubscribe_unknown_queue_is_noop():
+    """Defensive: unsubscribe on an account/queue that isn't registered
+    should not raise — finally blocks rely on this."""
+    bus = EscalationBus()
+    account = uuid4()
+    fake_queue: asyncio.Queue = asyncio.Queue()
+    # Should not raise.
+    await bus.unsubscribe(account, fake_queue)
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_handoff_manager.py b/backend/tests/test_handoff_manager.py
index fc4644be..3a2836a5 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_handoff_manager.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_handoff_manager.py
@@ -278,6 +278,58 @@ async def test_dispatch_graceful_degradation_when_email_raises(
     assert sent == 0
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_dispatch_publishes_to_escalation_bus(
+    client: AsyncClient, test_user, auth_headers, test_db
+):
+    """dispatch_escalation_notifications puts an event on the in-memory bus
+    so connected SSE subscribers see live arrivals."""
+    from app.core.escalation_bus import bus as escalation_bus
+
+    session = AISession(
+        user_id=test_user["user_data"]["id"],
+        account_id=test_user["user_data"]["account_id"],
+        session_type="guided",
+        intake_type="free_text",
+        intake_content={"text": "x"},
+        problem_summary="VPN down",
+        status="active",
+        confidence_tier="discovery",
+        conversation_messages=[],
+    )
+    test_db.add(session)
+    await test_db.commit()
+
+    manager = HandoffManager(test_db)
+    handoff = await manager.create_handoff(
+        session_id=session.id,
+        intent="escalate",
+        engineer_notes="please help",
+        user_id=test_user["user_data"]["id"],
+    )
+    await test_db.commit()
+
+    from uuid import UUID as PyUUID
+    account_id = PyUUID(test_user["user_data"]["account_id"])
+
+    queue = await escalation_bus.subscribe(account_id)
+    try:
+        with patch(
+            "app.services.handoff_manager.EmailService.send_notification_email",
+            new=AsyncMock(return_value=True),
+        ):
+            await manager.dispatch_escalation_notifications(handoff)
+
+        import asyncio
+        event = await asyncio.wait_for(queue.get(), timeout=1.0)
+        assert event["type"] == "handoff_created"
+        assert event["handoff_id"] == str(handoff.id)
+        assert event["session_id"] == str(session.id)
+        assert event["priority"] == "normal"
+    finally:
+        await escalation_bus.unsubscribe(account_id, queue)
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_create_handoff_endpoint_dispatches_on_escalate(
     client: AsyncClient, test_user, auth_headers, test_db
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_session_handoffs_api.py b/backend/tests/test_session_handoffs_api.py
index 6edaac1e..6ddc307c 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_session_handoffs_api.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_session_handoffs_api.py
@@ -113,6 +113,49 @@ async def test_claim_blocked_for_viewer_role(
     assert "engineer" in claim_resp.json()["detail"].lower()
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_escalations_stream_blocked_for_viewer(
+    client: AsyncClient, test_user, auth_headers, test_db
+):
+    """SSE stream is role-gated to engineer-or-admin (matches queue/claim)."""
+    user_id = PyUUID(test_user["user_data"]["id"])
+    user = (
+        await test_db.execute(select(User).where(User.id == user_id))
+    ).scalar_one()
+    user.account_role = "viewer"
+    await test_db.commit()
+
+    resp = await client.get(
+        "/api/v1/ai-sessions/escalations/stream", headers=auth_headers
+    )
+    assert resp.status_code == 403
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_escalations_stream_returns_sse_content_type(
+    client: AsyncClient, test_user, auth_headers, test_db
+):
+    """Engineer/owner can open the SSE stream and gets text/event-stream
+    plus an initial `ready` event. Read just enough bytes to confirm the
+    handshake — the full pub/sub flow is covered by the bus + dispatcher
+    tests separately."""
+    async with client.stream(
+        "GET",
+        "/api/v1/ai-sessions/escalations/stream",
+        headers=auth_headers,
+    ) as resp:
+        assert resp.status_code == 200
+        assert resp.headers["content-type"].startswith("text/event-stream")
+        # First chunk must contain the ready event.
+        first = b""
+        async for chunk in resp.aiter_bytes():
+            first += chunk
+            if b"event: ready" in first and b"\n\n" in first:
+                break
+        assert b"event: ready" in first
+        assert b'"account_id"' in first
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_claim_allowed_for_engineer_role(
     client: AsyncClient, test_user, auth_headers, test_db