diff --git a/channels/shangwutong/db/generated/inbound.sql.go b/channels/shangwutong/db/generated/inbound.sql.go
index 8d3865b1..79179858 100644
--- a/channels/shangwutong/db/generated/inbound.sql.go
+++ b/channels/shangwutong/db/generated/inbound.sql.go
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ WHERE id = (
         AND earlier.swt_sid = candidate.swt_sid
         AND earlier.id < candidate.id
         AND earlier.delivery_status IN ('pending', 'delivering')
+        AND NOT (earlier.kind IN (24, 52) AND candidate.kind NOT IN (24, 52))
     )
   ORDER BY candidate.id
   LIMIT 1
diff --git a/channels/shangwutong/db/migrations/003_retry_deferred_contact_metadata.down.sql b/channels/shangwutong/db/migrations/003_retry_deferred_contact_metadata.down.sql
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..df9f6990
--- /dev/null
+++ b/channels/shangwutong/db/migrations/003_retry_deferred_contact_metadata.down.sql
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+-- Data recovery migration: restored queue state is intentionally not reverted.
diff --git a/channels/shangwutong/db/migrations/003_retry_deferred_contact_metadata.up.sql b/channels/shangwutong/db/migrations/003_retry_deferred_contact_metadata.up.sql
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c4b12146
--- /dev/null
+++ b/channels/shangwutong/db/migrations/003_retry_deferred_contact_metadata.up.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+UPDATE inbound_events SET
+  delivery_status = 'pending',
+  attempts = 0,
+  next_attempt_at = NULL,
+  updated_at = CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
+WHERE kind IN (24, 52)
+  AND delivery_status = 'failed'
+  AND last_error = 'GoChat API 404 not_found: contact source not found';
diff --git a/channels/shangwutong/db/queries/inbound.sql b/channels/shangwutong/db/queries/inbound.sql
index 1b76b1d2..732c2977 100644
--- a/channels/shangwutong/db/queries/inbound.sql
+++ b/channels/shangwutong/db/queries/inbound.sql
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ WHERE id = (
         AND earlier.swt_sid = candidate.swt_sid
         AND earlier.id < candidate.id
         AND earlier.delivery_status IN ('pending', 'delivering')
+        AND NOT (earlier.kind IN (24, 52) AND candidate.kind NOT IN (24, 52))
     )
   ORDER BY candidate.id
   LIMIT 1
diff --git a/channels/shangwutong/internal/command/root_test.go b/channels/shangwutong/internal/command/root_test.go
index f6ec62ab..0fe516f0 100644
--- a/channels/shangwutong/internal/command/root_test.go
+++ b/channels/shangwutong/internal/command/root_test.go
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ func TestOperationalCommands(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Fatalf("%v produced no output", args)
 		}
 	}
-	if version, err := store.InspectDatabase(context.Background(), backupPath); err != nil || version != 2 {
+	if version, err := store.InspectDatabase(context.Background(), backupPath); err != nil || version != 3 {
 		t.Fatalf("backup version = %d, %v", version, err)
 	}
 
diff --git a/channels/shangwutong/internal/delivery/inbound.go b/channels/shangwutong/internal/delivery/inbound.go
index f808cd64..9e32e0b6 100644
--- a/channels/shangwutong/internal/delivery/inbound.go
+++ b/channels/shangwutong/internal/delivery/inbound.go
@@ -475,8 +475,9 @@ func (i *Inbound) complete(event *dbgen.InboundEvent, mapped mappedEvent, messag
 
 func (i *Inbound) retryOrFail(event *dbgen.InboundEvent, mapped mappedEvent, deliveryErr error) error {
 	var apiErr *gochat.APIError
-	retryable := !errors.As(deliveryErr, &apiErr) || apiErr.Retryable
-	if retryable && event.Attempts < 10 {
+	waitingForContact := mapped.ContactCID != "" && isNotFound(deliveryErr)
+	retryable := !errors.As(deliveryErr, &apiErr) || apiErr.Retryable || waitingForContact
+	if retryable && (event.Attempts < 10 || waitingForContact) {
 		detail := deliveryErr.Error()
 		next := time.Now().Add(backoffForError(event.Attempts, 5*time.Minute, deliveryErr))
 		persistErr := i.store.Writer().RetryInboundEvent(context.Background(), dbgen.RetryInboundEventParams{
diff --git a/channels/shangwutong/internal/delivery/inbound_test.go b/channels/shangwutong/internal/delivery/inbound_test.go
index 3e9cff53..23d00a83 100644
--- a/channels/shangwutong/internal/delivery/inbound_test.go
+++ b/channels/shangwutong/internal/delivery/inbound_test.go
@@ -93,6 +93,43 @@ func TestInboundKind24PersistsCIDWithoutCreatingResources(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestInboundKind24WaitsForLaterContactInboxAndConverges(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	database, account := deliveryDatabase(t, ctx)
+	persistInboundEvent(t, database, account, swt.HeartbeatEvent{
+		SessionID: "visitor", Kind: 24, Text: "cookie/123", SeqID: 42,
+		Timestamp: time.Now().Format(time.RFC3339Nano), RawLine: "visitor 24 [REDACTED] 42 timestamp",
+	})
+	client := &inboundRecorder{metadataErr: &gochat.APIError{StatusCode: 404, Code: "not_found", Message: "contact source not found"}}
+	worker, _ := NewInbound(database, client, nil, 1)
+
+	if worked, err := worker.processInbound(ctx); !worked || err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("process CID before contact = %v, %v", worked, err)
+	}
+	cidEvent, err := database.Reader().GetInboundEventByKey(ctx, "swt:10:visitor:24:42")
+	if err != nil || cidEvent.DeliveryStatus != "pending" || cidEvent.NextAttemptAt == nil || cidEvent.LastError == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("deferred CID event = %#v, %v", cidEvent, err)
+	}
+
+	persistInboundEvent(t, database, account, swt.HeartbeatEvent{
+		SessionID: "visitor", Kind: 2, Text: "hello", SeqID: 43,
+		Timestamp: time.Now().Format(time.RFC3339Nano), RawLine: "visitor 2 hello 43 timestamp",
+	})
+	if worked, err := worker.processInbound(ctx); !worked || err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("create later contact inbox = %v, %v", worked, err)
+	}
+	if delay := time.Until(*cidEvent.NextAttemptAt); delay > 0 {
+		time.Sleep(delay + 20*time.Millisecond)
+	}
+	if worked, err := worker.processInbound(ctx); !worked || err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("retry CID after contact = %v, %v", worked, err)
+	}
+	cidEvent, err = database.Reader().GetInboundEventByKey(ctx, "swt:10:visitor:24:42")
+	if err != nil || cidEvent.DeliveryStatus != "delivered" || cidEvent.Attempts != 2 || client.lastSourceID != "visitor" || client.lastCID != "cookie/123" {
+		t.Fatalf("converged CID event = %#v, client = %#v, err = %v", cidEvent, client, err)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestInboundKind3ConfirmsUniqueOutboundEcho(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	database, account := deliveryDatabase(t, ctx)
@@ -457,9 +494,11 @@ type inboundRecorder struct {
 	lastInboxID     int64
 	lastSourceID    string
 	lastCID         string
+	metadataErr     error
 }
 
 func (r *inboundRecorder) EnsureContact(_ context.Context, _, _ string, request gochat.ContactRequest) (gochat.Contact, error) {
+	r.metadataErr = nil
 	return gochat.Contact{ID: 456, SourceID: request.SourceID, Name: request.Name}, nil
 }
 
@@ -470,7 +509,7 @@ func (r *inboundRecorder) UpdateContact(_ context.Context, _, _, sourceID string
 func (r *inboundRecorder) UpdateContactChannelMetadata(_ context.Context, inboxID int64, sourceID, cid string) error {
 	r.metadataUpdates++
 	r.lastInboxID, r.lastSourceID, r.lastCID = inboxID, sourceID, cid
-	return nil
+	return r.metadataErr
 }
 
 func (r *inboundRecorder) EnsureConversation(context.Context, string, string, map[string]any) (gochat.PublicConversation, error) {
diff --git a/channels/shangwutong/internal/store/store_test.go b/channels/shangwutong/internal/store/store_test.go
index efa6ae60..93eb065e 100644
--- a/channels/shangwutong/internal/store/store_test.go
+++ b/channels/shangwutong/internal/store/store_test.go
@@ -102,6 +102,55 @@ func TestMigrationVersionParser(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestDeferredContactMetadataMigrationOnlyRetriesMatchingFailures(t *testing.T) {
+	db, err := sql.Open("sqlite", filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "migration.db"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer db.Close()
+	if _, err := db.Exec(`CREATE TABLE inbound_events (
+		id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, kind INTEGER, delivery_status TEXT, attempts INTEGER,
+		next_attempt_at DATETIME, last_error TEXT, updated_at DATETIME)`); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	for _, values := range []string{
+		`(1,24,'failed',10,CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,'GoChat API 404 not_found: contact source not found',CURRENT_TIMESTAMP)`,
+		`(2,24,'failed',10,CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,'other failure',CURRENT_TIMESTAMP)`,
+		`(3,2,'failed',10,CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,'GoChat API 404 not_found: contact source not found',CURRENT_TIMESTAMP)`,
+	} {
+		if _, err := db.Exec(`INSERT INTO inbound_events VALUES ` + values); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+	migration, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join("..", "..", "db", "migrations", "003_retry_deferred_contact_metadata.up.sql"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := db.Exec(string(migration)); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	rows, err := db.Query(`SELECT id, delivery_status, attempts, next_attempt_at FROM inbound_events ORDER BY id`)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer rows.Close()
+	for id := 1; rows.Next(); id++ {
+		var gotID, attempts int
+		var status string
+		var next sql.NullTime
+		if err := rows.Scan(&gotID, &status, &attempts, &next); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		if gotID == 1 {
+			if status != "pending" || attempts != 0 || next.Valid {
+				t.Fatalf("matching event = %q, %d, %v", status, attempts, next)
+			}
+		} else if status != "failed" || attempts != 10 || !next.Valid {
+			t.Fatalf("event %d was unexpectedly changed: %q, %d, %v", gotID, status, attempts, next)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestRollbackMigrationRefusesRenameOperations(t *testing.T) {
 	db, err := sql.Open("sqlite", filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "rollback.db"))
 	if err != nil {
@@ -511,7 +560,7 @@ func TestOnlineBackupCanBeOpenedReadOnly(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("backup mode = %v", info.Mode().Perm())
 	}
 	version, err := InspectDatabase(ctx, backup)
-	if err != nil || version != 2 {
+	if err != nil || version != 3 {
 		t.Fatalf("backup version = %d, %v", version, err)
 	}
 }