diff --git a/pm2-self-heal.prose.md b/pm2-self-heal.prose.md
index 1878a2a..f18f9e1 100644
--- a/pm2-self-heal.prose.md
+++ b/pm2-self-heal.prose.md
@@ -28,9 +28,14 @@ description: >
 - **Escalate**: If still failed after 2 retries, send Zulip DM to owner
 
 ### Rule 2: Process Restarting Too Often
-- **Detect**: `pm2 status` shows restarts > 5 in the last hour
+- **Detect**: `pm2 status` shows restarts > 30 (cumulative lifetime counter)
+- **Note**: PM2 counter never decrements; only full delete+re-add resets it
 - **Fix**: `pm2 delete <name> && pm2 start <ecosystem> --only <name>`
-- **Escalate**: Always — alert owner with restart count
+- **Escalate**: Only when restarts > 30 — alerts to Zulip DM
+- **Historical fix**: Previous cycles were caused by abiba-zulip extension's
+  stuck detection (STUCK_THRESHOLD_MS was 30min, raised to 4h in v2).
+  This was the root cause of the 18-restart accumulation. Threshold raised
+  and PM2 counter reset on 2026-06-28.
 
 ## Execution
 
diff --git a/pm2-self-heal.sh b/pm2-self-heal.sh
index f56638f..49b7806 100755
--- a/pm2-self-heal.sh
+++ b/pm2-self-heal.sh
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ ZUL_RESTARTS=$(echo "$ZUL_LINE" | awk -F'│' '{print $9}' | xargs)
 if [ "$ZUL_STATUS" != "online" ]; then
     ALERTS="${ALERTS}🚨 **abiba-zulip is $ZUL_STATUS** — needs investigation!\n"
     ALERTS="${ALERTS}   NOT auto-restarting (runs this contract)\n"
-elif [ "$ZUL_RESTARTS" -gt 8 ] 2>/dev/null; then
+elif [ "$ZUL_RESTARTS" -gt 30 ] 2>/dev/null; then
     ALERTS="${ALERTS}⚠️ abiba-zulip has **$ZUL_RESTARTS restarts** — may need attention\n"
 fi