diff --git a/scripts/amp-helper.sh b/scripts/amp-helper.sh
index b5f83eb..2727723 100755
--- a/scripts/amp-helper.sh
+++ b/scripts/amp-helper.sh
@@ -327,6 +327,25 @@ AMP_MAX_TOTAL_ATTACHMENT_SIZE="${AMP_MAX_TOTAL_ATTACHMENT_SIZE:-104857600}"  # 1
 # AI Maestro connection
 AMP_MAESTRO_URL="${AMP_MAESTRO_URL:-http://localhost:23000}"
 
+# Tell a local AI Maestro that a message just landed in a same-host recipient's
+# inbox, so it wakes the agent now instead of at its next inbox sweep. The inbox
+# file is already written and stays the source of truth: this is a best-effort
+# nudge. It never prints, never fails, and never waits (backgrounded, 3 s cap),
+# so with no server running, or an older one, sending behaves exactly as before.
+# Opt out with AMP_DOORBELL=0.
+amp_ring_doorbell() {
+    local recipient="$1" msg_id="$2" body
+    [ "${AMP_DOORBELL:-1}" = "0" ] && return 0
+    [ -n "$recipient" ] && [ -n "$msg_id" ] || return 0
+    command -v curl >/dev/null 2>&1 || return 0
+    command -v jq >/dev/null 2>&1 || return 0
+    body=$(jq -nc --arg r "$recipient" --arg m "$msg_id" '{recipient:$r,messageId:$m}' 2>/dev/null) || return 0
+    ( curl -s -m 3 --connect-timeout 1 -o /dev/null -X POST \
+        "${AMP_MAESTRO_URL}/api/messages/doorbell" \
+        -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d "$body" >/dev/null 2>&1 & ) >/dev/null 2>&1
+    return 0
+}
+
 # Provider domain (AMP v1)
 AMP_PROVIDER_DOMAIN="${AMP_PROVIDER_DOMAIN:-aimaestro.local}"
 AMP_LOCAL_DOMAIN="${AMP_PROVIDER_DOMAIN}"
diff --git a/scripts/amp-send.sh b/scripts/amp-send.sh
index 6575df9..7f57b55 100755
--- a/scripts/amp-send.sh
+++ b/scripts/amp-send.sh
@@ -590,6 +590,10 @@ if [ "$ROUTE" = "local" ]; then
 
             echo "$DELIVERY_MSG" > "${RECIPIENT_INBOX}/${SENDER_DIR}/${MSG_ID}.json"
 
+            # Wake the recipient now if a local AI Maestro is running (best effort, silent)
+
+            amp_ring_doorbell "${RECIPIENT_UUID:-$ADDR_NAME}" "$MSG_ID"
+
             echo "✅ Message sent (local filesystem delivery)"
             echo ""
             echo "  To:       ${FULL_RECIPIENT}"
@@ -743,6 +747,10 @@ if [ "$ROUTE" = "local" ]; then
 
                 echo "$DELIVERY_MSG" > "${RECIPIENT_INBOX}/${SENDER_DIR}/${MSG_ID}.json"
 
+                # Wake the recipient now if a local AI Maestro is running (best effort, silent)
+
+                amp_ring_doorbell "${RECIPIENT_UUID:-$ADDR_NAME}" "$MSG_ID"
+
                 echo "✅ Message sent (local filesystem delivery)"
                 echo ""
                 echo "  To:       ${FULL_RECIPIENT}"
diff --git a/tests/unit/send_doorbell.bats b/tests/unit/send_doorbell.bats
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c315ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/send_doorbell.bats
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bats
+# =============================================================================
+# Tests: amp_ring_doorbell (best-effort wake after a same-host inbox write)
+# =============================================================================
+
+setup() {
+    load '../test_helper'
+    setup_amp_env
+    create_test_config
+    source_amp_helper
+    unset SCRIPT_DIR
+
+    STUBS="${BATS_TEST_TMPDIR}/stubs"
+    mkdir -p "$STUBS"
+    cat > "${STUBS}/curl" <<STUB
+#!/bin/bash
+echo "\$@" >> "${BATS_TEST_TMPDIR}/curl.calls"
+[ -n "\$CURL_STUB_SLEEP" ] && sleep "\$CURL_STUB_SLEEP"
+exit "\${CURL_STUB_EXIT:-0}"
+STUB
+    chmod +x "${STUBS}/curl"
+    export PATH="${STUBS}:${PATH}"
+    export AMP_MAESTRO_URL="http://localhost:23000"
+}
+
+wait_for_calls() {
+    for _ in $(seq 1 30); do
+        [ -s "${BATS_TEST_TMPDIR}/curl.calls" ] && return 0
+        sleep 0.1
+    done
+    return 1
+}
+
+@test "rings the doorbell with the recipient and message id" {
+    run amp_ring_doorbell "agent-uuid-1" "msg_123_abc"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output ""
+    wait_for_calls
+    run cat "${BATS_TEST_TMPDIR}/curl.calls"
+    assert_output --partial "http://localhost:23000/api/messages/doorbell"
+    assert_output --partial '"recipient":"agent-uuid-1"'
+    assert_output --partial '"messageId":"msg_123_abc"'
+}
+
+@test "prints nothing and succeeds when the server is unreachable" {
+    export CURL_STUB_EXIT=7
+    run amp_ring_doorbell "a" "m"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output ""
+}
+
+@test "does not wait for a slow server" {
+    export CURL_STUB_SLEEP=5
+    start=$SECONDS
+    run amp_ring_doorbell "a" "m"
+    assert_success
+    [ $((SECONDS - start)) -lt 3 ]
+}
+
+@test "AMP_DOORBELL=0 opts out" {
+    export AMP_DOORBELL=0
+    run amp_ring_doorbell "a" "m"
+    assert_success
+    sleep 0.3
+    [ ! -e "${BATS_TEST_TMPDIR}/curl.calls" ]
+}
+
+@test "does nothing without a recipient or a message id" {
+    run amp_ring_doorbell "" "m"
+    assert_success
+    run amp_ring_doorbell "a" ""
+    assert_success
+    sleep 0.3
+    [ ! -e "${BATS_TEST_TMPDIR}/curl.calls" ]
+}
+
+@test "succeeds with curl missing" {
+    # Make `command -v curl` fail without touching PATH (other tools stay available)
+    command() { if [ "$1" = "-v" ] && [ "$2" = "curl" ]; then return 1; fi; builtin command "$@"; }
+    run amp_ring_doorbell "a" "m"
+    unset -f command
+    assert_success
+    assert_output ""
+    sleep 0.3
+    [ ! -e "${BATS_TEST_TMPDIR}/curl.calls" ]
+}
+
+@test "amp-send rings after both local filesystem writes" {
+    run grep -c 'amp_ring_doorbell "${RECIPIENT_UUID:-$ADDR_NAME}" "$MSG_ID"' "${SCRIPTS_DIR}/amp-send.sh"
+    assert_output "2"
+}