diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 70aa23db..e76d9442 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ internal/
     reactor/           Event-driven rule engine
   api/                 REST API server + routes
   web/                 Embedded dashboard (single-page app, D3.js charts)
-  mcp/                 MCP server (21 tools for Claude Code)
+  mcp/                 MCP server (22 tools for Claude Code)
   store/               Store interface + SQLite implementation
   llm/                 LLM provider interface + implementations (LM Studio, Gemini/cloud API)
   ingest/              Project ingestion engine
@@ -136,6 +136,7 @@ You have 21 tools via the `mnemonic` MCP server:
 | `ingest_project` | Bulk-ingest a project directory into memory |
 | `exclude_path` | Add a watcher exclusion pattern at runtime |
 | `list_exclusions` | List all runtime watcher exclusion patterns |
+| `dismiss_pattern` | Archive a stale or irrelevant pattern to stop it surfacing in recall |
 
 ### At Session Start
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9843ba17..9f3a4193 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ A local-first semantic memory daemon that watches your work, learns from it, and
 - **Autonomous** — Watches your filesystem, terminal, and clipboard. Encodes memories without you lifting a finger.
 - **Biological** — Memories consolidate, decay, form patterns, and become principles. It doesn't just store — it *processes*.
 - **Local-first** — Air-gapped, SQLite-backed, never phones home. Your data stays on your machine.
-- **21 MCP tools** — Drop-in memory layer for Claude Code and other AI agents.
+- **22 MCP tools** — Drop-in memory layer for Claude Code and other AI agents.
 - **Self-updating** — Built-in update mechanism checks GitHub Releases and applies updates in-place.
 - **Cross-platform** — macOS, Linux, and Windows. Daemon management via launchd, systemd, or Windows Services.
 
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ For the full deep dive, see [ARCHITECTURE.md](ARCHITECTURE.md).
 
 ## MCP Integration
 
-Mnemonic exposes 21 tools via the [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) for Claude Code and other AI agents:
+Mnemonic exposes 22 tools via the [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) for Claude Code and other AI agents:
 
 **Claude Code config** (`~/.claude/settings.local.json`):
 
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ internal/
   agent/            8 cognitive agents + orchestrator + reactor
   api/              HTTP + WebSocket server
   web/              Embedded dashboard (single-page app)
-  mcp/              MCP server (21 tools)
+  mcp/              MCP server (22 tools)
   store/            Store interface + SQLite (FTS5 + vector search)
   llm/              LLM provider interface (LM Studio, Gemini, cloud APIs)
   ingest/           Project ingestion engine
diff --git a/internal/agent/consolidation/agent.go b/internal/agent/consolidation/agent.go
index 875d8b9a..3d8dab6d 100644
--- a/internal/agent/consolidation/agent.go
+++ b/internal/agent/consolidation/agent.go
@@ -1518,53 +1518,55 @@ func (ca *ConsolidationAgent) decayPatterns(ctx context.Context) (int, error) {
 	decayed := 0
 	for i := range patterns {
 		p := &patterns[i]
-		if p.State != "active" {
+		if p.State != "active" && p.State != "fading" {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		// Apply baseline decay — self-sustaining patterns get reduced decay
+		// Compute evidence health ratio for all patterns with evidence.
+		totalEvidence := len(p.EvidenceIDs)
+		var evidenceRatio float32 = 1.0
+		if totalEvidence > 0 {
+			activeEvidence := 0
+			for _, memID := range p.EvidenceIDs {
+				mem, err := ca.store.GetMemory(ctx, memID)
+				if err == nil && (mem.State == store.MemoryStateActive || mem.State == store.MemoryStateFading) {
+					activeEvidence++
+				}
+			}
+			evidenceRatio = float32(activeEvidence) / float32(totalEvidence)
+		} else {
+			evidenceRatio = 0
+		}
+
+		// Apply baseline decay — self-sustaining requires healthy evidence
 		minEvidence := cfgInt(ca.config.SelfSustainingMinEvidence, 10)
 		minStrength := cfgFloat32(ca.config.SelfSustainingMinStrength, 0.9)
-		if len(p.EvidenceIDs) >= minEvidence && p.Strength >= minStrength {
+		if len(p.EvidenceIDs) >= minEvidence && p.Strength >= minStrength && evidenceRatio >= 0.5 {
 			p.Strength *= cfgFloat32(ca.config.SelfSustainingDecay, 0.9999)
 		} else {
 			p.Strength *= cfgFloat32(ca.config.PatternBaselineDecay, 0.998)
 		}
 
-		// Additional evidence-based decay for patterns not accessed within 3 days
-		recency := p.LastAccessed
-		if recency.IsZero() {
-			recency = p.CreatedAt
-		}
-		stale := recency.IsZero() || time.Since(recency).Hours() >= 72
-
-		if stale {
-			totalEvidence := len(p.EvidenceIDs)
-			if totalEvidence == 0 {
+		// Evidence-based decay applies to all patterns (not just stale ones).
+		// Patterns with dead evidence should decay regardless of access recency.
+		if totalEvidence == 0 {
+			p.Strength *= cfgFloat32(ca.config.StaleDecayAggressive, 0.90)
+		} else {
+			switch {
+			case evidenceRatio >= 0.5:
+				// Healthy evidence — no additional decay beyond baseline
+			case evidenceRatio >= 0.2:
+				p.Strength *= cfgFloat32(ca.config.StaleDecayModerate, 0.95)
+			default:
 				p.Strength *= cfgFloat32(ca.config.StaleDecayAggressive, 0.90)
-			} else {
-				activeEvidence := 0
-				for _, memID := range p.EvidenceIDs {
-					mem, err := ca.store.GetMemory(ctx, memID)
-					if err == nil && (mem.State == store.MemoryStateActive || mem.State == store.MemoryStateFading) {
-						activeEvidence++
-					}
-				}
-				evidenceRatio := float32(activeEvidence) / float32(totalEvidence)
-				switch {
-				case evidenceRatio >= 0.5:
-					p.Strength *= cfgFloat32(ca.config.StaleDecayHealthy, 0.98)
-				case evidenceRatio >= 0.2:
-					p.Strength *= cfgFloat32(ca.config.StaleDecayModerate, 0.95)
-				default:
-					p.Strength *= cfgFloat32(ca.config.StaleDecayAggressive, 0.90)
-				}
 			}
 		}
 
-		// Below 0.1 → transition to fading
-		if p.Strength < 0.1 {
+		// State transitions: active → fading at 0.1, fading → archived at 0.05
+		if p.State == "active" && p.Strength < 0.1 {
 			p.State = "fading"
+		} else if p.State == "fading" && p.Strength < 0.05 {
+			p.State = "archived"
 		}
 
 		p.UpdatedAt = time.Now()
diff --git a/internal/agent/retrieval/agent.go b/internal/agent/retrieval/agent.go
index 4944c159..342db650 100644
--- a/internal/agent/retrieval/agent.go
+++ b/internal/agent/retrieval/agent.go
@@ -356,16 +356,17 @@ func (ra *RetrievalAgent) Query(ctx context.Context, req QueryRequest) (QueryRes
 
 	if embedding != nil {
 		if req.IncludePatterns {
-			patterns, err := ra.store.SearchPatternsByEmbedding(ctx, embedding, intOr(ra.config.PatternSearchLimit, 5))
-			if err != nil {
-				ra.log.Warn("pattern search failed", "query_id", queryID, "error", err)
+			var patterns []store.Pattern
+			var pErr error
+			if req.Project != "" {
+				patterns, pErr = ra.store.SearchPatternsByEmbeddingInProject(ctx, embedding, req.Project, intOr(ra.config.PatternSearchLimit, 5))
 			} else {
-				// Filter by project if specified
-				for _, p := range patterns {
-					if req.Project == "" || p.Project == "" || p.Project == req.Project {
-						matchedPatterns = append(matchedPatterns, p)
-					}
-				}
+				patterns, pErr = ra.store.SearchPatternsByEmbedding(ctx, embedding, intOr(ra.config.PatternSearchLimit, 5))
+			}
+			if pErr != nil {
+				ra.log.Warn("pattern search failed", "query_id", queryID, "error", pErr)
+			} else {
+				matchedPatterns = patterns
 			}
 		}
 
diff --git a/internal/mcp/server.go b/internal/mcp/server.go
index 91a8068c..f009dae7 100644
--- a/internal/mcp/server.go
+++ b/internal/mcp/server.go
@@ -283,6 +283,8 @@ func (srv *MCPServer) handleToolCall(ctx context.Context, req *jsonRPCRequest) *
 		result, toolErr = srv.handleAmend(ctx, params.Arguments)
 	case "check_memory":
 		result, toolErr = srv.handleCheckMemory(ctx, params.Arguments)
+	case "dismiss_pattern":
+		result, toolErr = srv.handleDismissPattern(ctx, params.Arguments)
 	default:
 		return errorResponse(req.ID, -32602, fmt.Sprintf("Unknown tool: %s", params.Name))
 	}
@@ -2480,3 +2482,18 @@ func (srv *MCPServer) handleCheckMemory(ctx context.Context, args map[string]int
 
 	return toolResult(sb.String()), nil
 }
+
+// handleDismissPattern archives a pattern by ID.
+func (srv *MCPServer) handleDismissPattern(_ context.Context, args map[string]interface{}) (interface{}, error) {
+	patternID, _ := args["pattern_id"].(string)
+	if patternID == "" {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("pattern_id is required")
+	}
+
+	if err := srv.store.ArchivePattern(context.Background(), patternID); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("archiving pattern %s: %w", patternID, err)
+	}
+
+	srv.log.Info("pattern dismissed", "pattern_id", patternID, "session_id", srv.sessionID)
+	return toolResult(fmt.Sprintf("Pattern %s archived", patternID)), nil
+}
diff --git a/internal/mcp/server_test.go b/internal/mcp/server_test.go
index 1582a563..b5f73b8d 100644
--- a/internal/mcp/server_test.go
+++ b/internal/mcp/server_test.go
@@ -127,8 +127,8 @@ func TestHandleToolsList(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("tools is not an array, got %T", toolsInterface)
 	}
 
-	if len(toolsArray) != 21 {
-		t.Fatalf("expected 21 tools, got %d", len(toolsArray))
+	if len(toolsArray) != 22 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 22 tools, got %d", len(toolsArray))
 	}
 
 	// Verify tool names
@@ -154,6 +154,7 @@ func TestHandleToolsList(t *testing.T) {
 		"check_memory":    false,
 		"exclude_path":    false,
 		"list_exclusions": false,
+		"dismiss_pattern": false,
 	}
 
 	for _, toolInterface := range toolsArray {
diff --git a/internal/mcp/tools.go b/internal/mcp/tools.go
index 914a6487..b932aa07 100644
--- a/internal/mcp/tools.go
+++ b/internal/mcp/tools.go
@@ -188,6 +188,23 @@ func forgetToolDef() ToolDefinition {
 	}
 }
 
+func dismissPatternToolDef() ToolDefinition {
+	return ToolDefinition{
+		Name:        "dismiss_pattern",
+		Description: "Archive a pattern by ID. Use this to dismiss stale or irrelevant patterns that keep surfacing in recall results.",
+		InputSchema: map[string]interface{}{
+			"type": "object",
+			"properties": map[string]interface{}{
+				"pattern_id": map[string]interface{}{
+					"type":        "string",
+					"description": "The ID of the pattern to archive",
+				},
+			},
+			"required": []string{"pattern_id"},
+		},
+	}
+}
+
 func statusToolDef() ToolDefinition {
 	return ToolDefinition{
 		Name:        "status",
@@ -574,5 +591,6 @@ func allToolDefs() []ToolDefinition {
 		listExclusionsToolDef(),
 		amendToolDef(),
 		checkMemoryToolDef(),
+		dismissPatternToolDef(),
 	}
 }
diff --git a/internal/store/sqlite/patterns.go b/internal/store/sqlite/patterns.go
index a4682614..2fd77f93 100644
--- a/internal/store/sqlite/patterns.go
+++ b/internal/store/sqlite/patterns.go
@@ -94,16 +94,17 @@ func (s *SQLiteStore) UpdatePattern(ctx context.Context, p store.Pattern) error
 }
 
 // ListPatterns lists patterns, optionally filtered by project.
+// Returns active and fading patterns (fading are needed by decay logic).
 func (s *SQLiteStore) ListPatterns(ctx context.Context, project string, limit int) ([]store.Pattern, error) {
 	var query string
-	var args []interface{}
+	var args []any
 
 	if project == "" {
-		query = `SELECT ` + patternColumns + ` FROM patterns WHERE state = 'active' ORDER BY strength DESC LIMIT ?`
-		args = []interface{}{limit}
+		query = `SELECT ` + patternColumns + ` FROM patterns WHERE state IN ('active', 'fading') ORDER BY strength DESC LIMIT ?`
+		args = []any{limit}
 	} else {
-		query = `SELECT ` + patternColumns + ` FROM patterns WHERE state = 'active' AND project = ? ORDER BY strength DESC LIMIT ?`
-		args = []interface{}{project, limit}
+		query = `SELECT ` + patternColumns + ` FROM patterns WHERE state IN ('active', 'fading') AND project = ? ORDER BY strength DESC LIMIT ?`
+		args = []any{project, limit}
 	}
 
 	rows, err := s.db.QueryContext(ctx, query, args...)
@@ -248,6 +249,76 @@ func scanPatternRows(rows *sql.Rows) ([]store.Pattern, error) {
 	return patterns, nil
 }
 
+// SearchPatternsByEmbeddingInProject searches patterns scoped to a project.
+// When project is non-empty, only patterns belonging to that project are returned.
+func (s *SQLiteStore) SearchPatternsByEmbeddingInProject(ctx context.Context, embedding []float32, project string, limit int) ([]store.Pattern, error) {
+	if len(embedding) == 0 {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("embedding cannot be empty")
+	}
+	if project == "" {
+		return s.SearchPatternsByEmbedding(ctx, embedding, limit)
+	}
+
+	rows, err := s.db.QueryContext(ctx,
+		`SELECT id, embedding FROM patterns WHERE state = 'active' AND project = ? AND embedding IS NOT NULL AND length(embedding) > 0`, project)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to query pattern embeddings: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer func() { _ = rows.Close() }()
+
+	type candidate struct {
+		id    string
+		score float32
+	}
+	var candidates []candidate
+
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var id string
+		var blob []byte
+		if err := rows.Scan(&id, &blob); err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		emb := decodeEmbedding(blob)
+		if len(emb) == 0 {
+			continue
+		}
+		score := cosineSimilarity(embedding, emb)
+		candidates = append(candidates, candidate{id: id, score: score})
+	}
+
+	sort.Slice(candidates, func(i, j int) bool {
+		return candidates[i].score > candidates[j].score
+	})
+	if len(candidates) > limit {
+		candidates = candidates[:limit]
+	}
+
+	var patterns []store.Pattern
+	for _, c := range candidates {
+		p, err := s.GetPattern(ctx, c.id)
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		patterns = append(patterns, p)
+	}
+
+	return patterns, nil
+}
+
+// ArchivePattern archives a single pattern by ID.
+func (s *SQLiteStore) ArchivePattern(ctx context.Context, id string) error {
+	result, err := s.db.ExecContext(ctx,
+		`UPDATE patterns SET state = 'archived', updated_at = datetime('now') WHERE id = ?`, id)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("archiving pattern %s: %w", id, err)
+	}
+	n, _ := result.RowsAffected()
+	if n == 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("pattern %s: %w", id, store.ErrNotFound)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 // ArchiveAllPatterns transitions all active patterns to archived state.
 func (s *SQLiteStore) ArchiveAllPatterns(ctx context.Context) (int, error) {
 	result, err := s.db.ExecContext(ctx,
diff --git a/internal/store/store.go b/internal/store/store.go
index 2756fbb8..51caad97 100644
--- a/internal/store/store.go
+++ b/internal/store/store.go
@@ -475,6 +475,8 @@ type Store interface {
 	UpdatePattern(ctx context.Context, p Pattern) error
 	ListPatterns(ctx context.Context, project string, limit int) ([]Pattern, error)
 	SearchPatternsByEmbedding(ctx context.Context, embedding []float32, limit int) ([]Pattern, error)
+	SearchPatternsByEmbeddingInProject(ctx context.Context, embedding []float32, project string, limit int) ([]Pattern, error)
+	ArchivePattern(ctx context.Context, id string) error
 	ArchiveAllPatterns(ctx context.Context) (int, error)
 
 	// --- Abstraction operations ---
diff --git a/internal/store/storetest/mock.go b/internal/store/storetest/mock.go
index a45aea4c..18db1b72 100644
--- a/internal/store/storetest/mock.go
+++ b/internal/store/storetest/mock.go
@@ -237,6 +237,10 @@ func (MockStore) ListPatterns(context.Context, string, int) ([]store.Pattern, er
 func (MockStore) SearchPatternsByEmbedding(context.Context, []float32, int) ([]store.Pattern, error) {
 	return nil, nil
 }
+func (MockStore) SearchPatternsByEmbeddingInProject(context.Context, []float32, string, int) ([]store.Pattern, error) {
+	return nil, nil
+}
+func (MockStore) ArchivePattern(context.Context, string) error    { return nil }
 func (MockStore) ArchiveAllPatterns(context.Context) (int, error) { return 0, nil }
 
 // --- Abstraction operations ---