diff --git a/server/db.js b/server/db.js
index 9957a55..861fb93 100644
--- a/server/db.js
+++ b/server/db.js
@@ -225,6 +225,16 @@ try { db.exec("ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN status TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'active
 // Provisioning matches on it to keep one Biz Connect account per person (#2 account merge).
 try { db.exec('ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN bizgaze_user_id TEXT'); } catch (e) { /* exists */ }
 try { db.exec('CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_users_bizgaze_user_id ON users(bizgaze_user_id)'); } catch (e) { /* exists */ }
+// When two accounts merge (#2), the merged-away row is deleted. This records old_id -> survivor so
+// any lingering reference to the old id (a cached contact, an in-flight DM) resolves to the survivor
+// instead of hitting a deleted user (which made messages to merged contacts silently vanish).
+db.exec(`
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS user_aliases (
+  old_id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+  user_id TEXT NOT NULL,
+  team_id TEXT,
+  created_at INTEGER NOT NULL
+)`);
 db.exec(`
 CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS polls (
   id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
diff --git a/server/repos.js b/server/repos.js
index e97f44d..89f0e95 100644
--- a/server/repos.js
+++ b/server/repos.js
@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@ const teams = {
 const users = {
   anyExists: () => !!db.prepare('SELECT 1 FROM users LIMIT 1').get(),
   byId: (id) => db.prepare('SELECT * FROM users WHERE id=?').get(id),
+  // Follow a merge redirect: a merged-away id resolves to the surviving account, else returns id
+  // unchanged. Use for any user id that arrived from the client (DM recipient, thread peer).
+  resolve: (id) => { if (!id) return id; const a = db.prepare('SELECT user_id FROM user_aliases WHERE old_id=?').get(id); return a ? a.user_id : id; },
   byEmail: (email) => db.prepare('SELECT * FROM users WHERE email=? COLLATE NOCASE').get(email),
   emailExists: (email) => !!db.prepare('SELECT 1 FROM users WHERE email=? COLLATE NOCASE').get(email),
   // Match on the stable BizGaze person-id so email- and mobile-logins resolve to one account (#2).
@@ -82,6 +85,11 @@ const users = {
       // Drop the merged-away account's auth so a stale token can't resurrect the empty row.
       run('DELETE FROM sessions_auth WHERE user_id=?', fromId);
       run('DELETE FROM refresh_tokens WHERE user_id=?', fromId);
+      // Record old_id -> survivor so lingering references (cached contacts, in-flight DMs) resolve
+      // instead of hitting the deleted row (which made messages to merged contacts vanish).
+      const _iu = db.prepare('SELECT team_id FROM users WHERE id=?').get(intoId);
+      run('INSERT OR REPLACE INTO user_aliases (old_id,user_id,team_id,created_at) VALUES (?,?,?,?)', fromId, intoId, (_iu && _iu.team_id) || null, now());
+      run('UPDATE user_aliases SET user_id=? WHERE user_id=?', intoId, fromId); // re-chain earlier aliases to the new survivor
       run('DELETE FROM users WHERE id=?', fromId);
       db.exec('COMMIT');
     } catch (e) {
diff --git a/server/routes.js b/server/routes.js
index 937d33a..a03cfbe 100644
--- a/server/routes.js
+++ b/server/routes.js
@@ -779,7 +779,7 @@ route('GET', '/api/messages/thread', async (req, res) => {
       return d;
     }));
   }
-  const other = q.get('with');
+  const other = R.users.resolve(q.get('with')); // follow a merge redirect so a stale peer id still loads the thread
   if (!other) return json(res, 400, { error: 'with or group required' });
   if (!R.users.inTenant(other, u.team_id)) return json(res, 404, { error: 'no such contact' });
   const rows = R.messages.thread(u.team_id, u.id, other);
@@ -1303,15 +1303,18 @@ route('POST', '/api/messages', async (req, res) => {
     }
     return json(res, 200, dto);
   }
-  if (!to) return json(res, 400, { error: 'to or group required' });
-  if (!R.users.inTenant(to, u.team_id)) return json(res, 404, { error: 'no such contact' });
-  R.messages.send({ id, teamId: u.team_id, senderId: u.id, recipientId: to, body: text, replyTo: replyTo || null, attachmentId: attachmentId || null });
+  // Resolve a merged-away recipient id to the surviving account, so DMs to a merged contact don't
+  // save against a deleted user (which made them silently vanish).
+  const toId = R.users.resolve(to);
+  if (!toId) return json(res, 400, { error: 'to or group required' });
+  if (!R.users.inTenant(toId, u.team_id)) return json(res, 404, { error: 'no such contact' });
+  R.messages.send({ id, teamId: u.team_id, senderId: u.id, recipientId: toId, body: text, replyTo: replyTo || null, attachmentId: attachmentId || null });
   const dto = buildMsgDTO(R.messages.byId(id), namesFor(u.team_id), u.id);
   const push = { type: 'chat-message', message: { ...dto, fromName: u.name || u.email } };
-  try { CHAT.pushToUser(to, push); } catch (_) {}
-  if (to !== u.id) try { CHAT.pushToUser(u.id, push); } catch (_) {} // sync the sender's other devices (skip for self-notes)
+  try { CHAT.pushToUser(toId, push); } catch (_) {}
+  if (toId !== u.id) try { CHAT.pushToUser(u.id, push); } catch (_) {} // sync the sender's other devices (skip for self-notes)
   // Background/closed-tab push to the recipient (opens the DM). Not for a note-to-self.
-  if (to !== u.id) PUSH.sendToUser(to, { title: (u.name || u.email), body: (text ? (text.length > 80 ? text.slice(0, 80) + '…' : text) : '📎 Attachment'), kind: 'dm', id: u.id, tag: 'dm:' + u.id, icon: u.avatar_url || undefined });
+  if (toId !== u.id) PUSH.sendToUser(toId, { title: (u.name || u.email), body: (text ? (text.length > 80 ? text.slice(0, 80) + '…' : text) : '📎 Attachment'), kind: 'dm', id: u.id, tag: 'dm:' + u.id, icon: u.avatar_url || undefined });
   json(res, 200, dto);
 });
 
@@ -1378,7 +1381,8 @@ route('GET', '/api/messages/media', async (req, res) => {
 route('POST', '/api/messages/read', async (req, res) => {
   const u = currentUser(req);
   if (!u) return json(res, 401, { error: 'unauthorized' });
-  const { with: other, group } = await readBody(req);
+  const { with: rawOther, group } = await readBody(req);
+  const other = R.users.resolve(rawOther); // follow a merge redirect
   if (group) {
     if (R.conversations.isMember(group, u.id)) {
       R.conversations.markRead(group, u.id);