diff --git a/docs/MxAccessWorkerInstanceDesign.md b/docs/MxAccessWorkerInstanceDesign.md
index d53543b..1e35078 100644
--- a/docs/MxAccessWorkerInstanceDesign.md
+++ b/docs/MxAccessWorkerInstanceDesign.md
@@ -1011,7 +1011,11 @@ Graceful shutdown sequence:
 
 1. Pipe reader receives `WorkerShutdown`.
 2. Worker host marks shutdown requested.
-3. Reject new commands.
+3. Reject new commands. A command that reaches the dispatcher after intake has
+   stopped is answered with a `WorkerUnavailable` reply and logged as
+   `WorkerCommandRejectedAfterShutdown`, so the gateway's correlation wait ends
+   at once instead of running out its own timeout. The read loop is serial and
+   stops after the shutdown frame, so this guard is defensive today.
 4. Let current STA command finish if within timeout.
 5. Optionally run MXAccess cleanup:
    - `UnAdvise`,
diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Worker.Tests/Ipc/WorkerPipeSessionTests.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Worker.Tests/Ipc/WorkerPipeSessionTests.cs
index 033b5c8..1b08781 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Worker.Tests/Ipc/WorkerPipeSessionTests.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Worker.Tests/Ipc/WorkerPipeSessionTests.cs
@@ -1943,6 +1943,60 @@ public sealed class WorkerPipeSessionTests
                 && (string?)correlationId == "command-dropped-after-shutdown");
     }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    ///     A command that reaches the dispatcher after shutdown has stopped command intake must be
+    ///     answered with <see cref="ProtocolStatusCode.WorkerUnavailable"/> (and logged) rather than
+    ///     dropped silently, which would leave the gateway's correlation wait to run out its own
+    ///     timeout with no trace (#182).
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <returns>A task that represents the asynchronous operation.</returns>
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task CommandAfterShutdown_RepliesWorkerUnavailable()
+    {
+        using CancellationTokenSource cancellation = new(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10));
+        using PipePair pipePair = await PipePair.CreateAsync(cancellation.Token);
+        FakeRuntimeSession runtime = new();
+        RecordingWorkerLogger logger = new();
+        WorkerFrameProtocolOptions options = CreateOptions();
+        WorkerPipeSession session = new(
+            new WorkerFrameReader(pipePair.WorkerStream, options),
+            new WorkerFrameWriter(pipePair.WorkerStream, options),
+            options,
+            () => 1234,
+            new WorkerPipeSessionOptions
+            {
+                HeartbeatInterval = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1),
+                HeartbeatGrace = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(5),
+            },
+            () => runtime,
+            logger);
+        Task runTask = session.RunAsync(cancellation.Token);
+        await CompleteGatewayHandshakeAsync(pipePair, cancellation.Token);
+
+        session.StopAcceptingCommands();
+        await pipePair.GatewayWriter.WriteAsync(
+            CreateCommandEnvelope("command-after-shutdown"),
+            cancellation.Token);
+
+        WorkerEnvelope reply = await ReadUntilAsync(
+            pipePair.GatewayReader,
+            WorkerEnvelope.BodyOneofCase.WorkerCommandReply,
+            envelope => envelope.CorrelationId == "command-after-shutdown",
+            cancellation.Token);
+
+        Assert.Equal(ProtocolStatusCode.WorkerUnavailable, reply.WorkerCommandReply.Reply.ProtocolStatus.Code);
+        Assert.Equal(MxCommandKind.Register, reply.WorkerCommandReply.Reply.Kind);
+        Assert.Equal(SessionId, reply.WorkerCommandReply.Reply.SessionId);
+        Assert.False(runtime.DispatchStarted.IsSet);
+        Assert.Contains(
+            logger.Events,
+            entry => entry.EventName == "WorkerCommandRejectedAfterShutdown"
+                && entry.Fields.TryGetValue("correlation_id", out object? correlationId)
+                && (string?)correlationId == "command-after-shutdown");
+
+        await SendShutdownAndWaitAsync(pipePair, runTask, cancellation.Token);
+    }
+
     private static WorkerPipeSession CreateSession(
         Stream inbound,
         Stream outbound,
diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Worker/Ipc/WorkerPipeSession.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Worker/Ipc/WorkerPipeSession.cs
index f4f2de0..6176f95 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Worker/Ipc/WorkerPipeSession.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Worker/Ipc/WorkerPipeSession.cs
@@ -748,7 +748,11 @@ public sealed class WorkerPipeSession
                     return await HandleControlCommandAsync(envelope, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
                 }
 
-                TryStartCommandTask(envelope, cancellationToken);
+                if (!TryStartCommandTask(envelope, cancellationToken))
+                {
+                    await RejectCommandAfterShutdownAsync(envelope, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+                }
+
                 return true;
             case WorkerEnvelope.BodyOneofCase.WorkerShutdown:
                 await ShutdownAsync(envelope.WorkerShutdown, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
@@ -1230,7 +1234,12 @@ public sealed class WorkerPipeSession
         }
     }
 
-    private void TryStartCommandTask(
+    /// <summary>
+    ///     Starts the command on the runtime session unless shutdown has already stopped command
+    ///     intake. Returns <c>false</c> when the command was refused, so the caller can answer the
+    ///     correlation instead of leaving the gateway's wait to run out its own timeout.
+    /// </summary>
+    private bool TryStartCommandTask(
         WorkerEnvelope envelope,
         CancellationToken cancellationToken)
     {
@@ -1239,7 +1248,7 @@ public sealed class WorkerPipeSession
         {
             if (!_acceptingCommands)
             {
-                return;
+                return false;
             }
 
             commandTask = ProcessCommandAsync(envelope, cancellationToken);
@@ -1254,6 +1263,60 @@ public sealed class WorkerPipeSession
         // would fault the discarded task with no observer. Close the gap the same way the rest of
         // the file does.
         ObserveFaultWhenever(ObserveCommandTaskAsync(commandTask));
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    ///     Answers a command that arrived after shutdown stopped command intake with a
+    ///     <see cref="ProtocolStatusCode.WorkerUnavailable"/> reply, and logs it. The worker is
+    ///     going away, so the reply is best effort: if the pipe is already unusable the failure is
+    ///     logged and the gateway falls back to its own correlation timeout, as it did before.
+    /// </summary>
+    private async Task RejectCommandAfterShutdownAsync(
+        WorkerEnvelope envelope,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        MxCommandKind kind = envelope.WorkerCommand?.Command?.Kind ?? MxCommandKind.Unspecified;
+        const string message = "The worker is shutting down and no longer accepts commands.";
+        _logger?.Information(
+            "WorkerCommandRejectedAfterShutdown",
+            new Dictionary<string, object?>
+            {
+                ["correlation_id"] = envelope.CorrelationId,
+                ["command_kind"] = kind.ToString(),
+                ["worker_state"] = _state.ToString(),
+            });
+
+        MxCommandReply reply = new()
+        {
+            SessionId = _options.SessionId,
+            CorrelationId = envelope.CorrelationId,
+            Kind = kind,
+            DiagnosticMessage = message,
+            ProtocolStatus = new ProtocolStatus
+            {
+                Code = ProtocolStatusCode.WorkerUnavailable,
+                Message = message,
+            },
+        };
+
+        try
+        {
+            await WriteControlReplyAsync(reply, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        }
+        catch (Exception exception) when (exception is IOException
+            || exception is ObjectDisposedException
+            || exception is WorkerFrameProtocolException)
+        {
+            _logger?.Error(
+                "WorkerCommandRejectionReplyFailed",
+                new Dictionary<string, object?>
+                {
+                    ["correlation_id"] = envelope.CorrelationId,
+                    ["command_kind"] = kind.ToString(),
+                    ["reason"] = exception.Message,
+                });
+        }
     }
 
     private async Task ObserveCommandTaskAsync(Task commandTask)
@@ -1274,7 +1337,12 @@ public sealed class WorkerPipeSession
         }
     }
 
-    private void StopAcceptingCommands()
+    /// <summary>
+    ///     Stops command intake. Internal so tests can reach the refusal path directly: the read
+    ///     loop is serial and ends after a shutdown, so a command cannot race it over the pipe today,
+    ///     but the guard must still answer if a future change lets one through.
+    /// </summary>
+    internal void StopAcceptingCommands()
     {
         lock (_commandTaskGate)
         {