diff --git a/agent/conversation_compression.py b/agent/conversation_compression.py
index 2ad341fa1..9a93ba4a4 100644
--- a/agent/conversation_compression.py
+++ b/agent/conversation_compression.py
@@ -350,10 +350,48 @@ def compress_context(
     _lock_db = getattr(agent, "_session_db", None)
     _lock_sid = agent.session_id or ""
     _lock_holder: Optional[str] = None
+    # Probe whether the lock subsystem is actually available on this
+    # SessionDB instance.  A process running mismatched module versions
+    # (e.g. ``conversation_compression.py`` reloaded after a pull but the
+    # long-lived ``hermes_state.SessionDB`` class still bound to the
+    # pre-#34351 version in memory) has the call site but not the method.
+    # In that case ``try_acquire_compression_lock`` raises AttributeError —
+    # NOT a ``sqlite3.Error`` — so the method's own fail-open guard never
+    # runs and the exception propagates to the outer agent loop, which
+    # prints the error and retries.  Because compression never succeeds,
+    # the token count never drops and the loop re-triggers compaction
+    # forever (the "API call #47/#48/#49 ... has no attribute
+    # try_acquire_compression_lock" spin).  Fail OPEN here: if the lock
+    # subsystem is missing or broken in any unexpected way, skip locking
+    # and proceed with compression.  Skipping the lock risks a rare
+    # concurrent-compression session fork; an infinite no-progress loop
+    # that never compresses at all is strictly worse.
     if _lock_db is not None and _lock_sid:
         _lock_holder = _compression_lock_holder(agent)
-        if not _lock_db.try_acquire_compression_lock(_lock_sid, _lock_holder):
-            existing = _lock_db.get_compression_lock_holder(_lock_sid)
+        try:
+            _lock_acquired = _lock_db.try_acquire_compression_lock(
+                _lock_sid, _lock_holder
+            )
+        except Exception as _lock_err:
+            # Broken/absent lock subsystem (version skew, etc.).  Log once
+            # per session and proceed WITHOUT the lock rather than letting
+            # the exception spin the outer loop.
+            _lock_holder = None  # we don't own anything to release
+            if getattr(agent, "_last_compression_lock_error_sid", None) != _lock_sid:
+                agent._last_compression_lock_error_sid = _lock_sid
+                logger.warning(
+                    "compression lock subsystem unavailable for session=%s "
+                    "(%s: %s) — proceeding without lock. This usually means a "
+                    "stale in-memory module after an update; restart the "
+                    "process (or `hermes update`) to resync.",
+                    _lock_sid, type(_lock_err).__name__, _lock_err,
+                )
+            _lock_acquired = True  # treat as acquired-but-unlocked; proceed
+        if not _lock_acquired:
+            try:
+                existing = _lock_db.get_compression_lock_holder(_lock_sid)
+            except Exception:
+                existing = None
             logger.warning(
                 "compression skipped: another path is compressing session=%s "
                 "(holder=%s) — returning messages unchanged to avoid session fork",
diff --git a/tests/agent/test_compression_concurrent_fork.py b/tests/agent/test_compression_concurrent_fork.py
index 5147f7146..76e8a4592 100644
--- a/tests/agent/test_compression_concurrent_fork.py
+++ b/tests/agent/test_compression_concurrent_fork.py
@@ -171,3 +171,70 @@ def test_skipped_compression_returns_messages_unchanged(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     assert agent.session_id == parent_sid
     # Compressor was never called (the skip happens before .compress())
     agent.context_compressor.compress.assert_not_called()
+
+
+class _NoLockSubsystemDB:
+    """Wraps a real SessionDB but simulates a pre-#34351 version skew.
+
+    A long-lived process can hold ``hermes_state.SessionDB`` bound to the
+    OLD class in memory (no compression-lock methods) while a lazily
+    re-imported ``conversation_compression.py`` calls the NEW lock code.
+    ``try_acquire_compression_lock`` then raises ``AttributeError`` — which
+    is NOT a ``sqlite3.Error``, so the method's own fail-open guard never
+    runs.  Before the fix the exception propagated to the outer agent loop,
+    which printed the error and retried; compression never succeeded, the
+    token count never dropped, and the loop re-triggered compaction forever.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, real_db: SessionDB) -> None:
+        self._real = real_db
+
+    def try_acquire_compression_lock(self, *_a, **_k):  # noqa: D401
+        raise AttributeError(
+            "'SessionDB' object has no attribute 'try_acquire_compression_lock'"
+        )
+
+    def get_compression_lock_holder(self, *_a, **_k):
+        raise AttributeError("'SessionDB' object has no attribute 'get_compression_lock_holder'")
+
+    def release_compression_lock(self, *_a, **_k):
+        raise AttributeError("'SessionDB' object has no attribute 'release_compression_lock'")
+
+    def __getattr__(self, name):
+        # Everything else (create_session, append, rotation helpers) goes to
+        # the real db so the post-lock compression + rotation path runs.
+        return getattr(self._real, name)
+
+
+def test_missing_lock_subsystem_fails_open_not_infinite_loop(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    """Version skew (no lock methods) must fail OPEN, not raise into the loop.
+
+    Reproduces the "API call #47/#48/#49 ... has no attribute
+    try_acquire_compression_lock" infinite-compaction spin: when the lock
+    subsystem is absent, ``_compress_context`` must skip locking and proceed
+    with compression (so the loop makes progress and terminates) instead of
+    letting the ``AttributeError`` escape to the retry loop.
+    """
+    db = SessionDB(db_path=tmp_path / "state.db")
+    parent_sid = "SKEW_TEST_SESSION"
+    db.create_session(parent_sid, source="discord")
+
+    agent = _build_agent_with_db(db, parent_sid)
+    # Swap in the lock-less wrapper AFTER construction (the agent already
+    # holds a normal db reference; we only break the lock methods).
+    agent._session_db = _NoLockSubsystemDB(db)
+
+    messages = [{"role": "user", "content": f"m{i}"} for i in range(20)]
+
+    # MUST NOT raise AttributeError. Before the fix this raised and the
+    # outer loop would retry forever.
+    compressed, _sp = agent._compress_context(messages, "sys", approx_tokens=120_000)
+
+    # Compression actually ran (proceeded past the broken lock) and made
+    # progress, so the auto-compress loop would terminate.
+    agent.context_compressor.compress.assert_called_once()
+    assert len(compressed) < len(messages), (
+        "Compression made no progress despite failing open — loop would still spin."
+    )
+    # Session rotated (compression succeeded end-to-end).
+    assert agent.session_id != parent_sid