diff --git a/system/services/volume-manager/volume-manager.zig b/system/services/volume-manager/volume-manager.zig
index c13ff09..587799d 100644
--- a/system/services/volume-manager/volume-manager.zig
+++ b/system/services/volume-manager/volume-manager.zig
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ const Answer = envelope.Answer;
 /// process serving it (0 until spawned; reset on death for respawn).
 const Volume = struct {
     storage: block.Device,
+    storage_device_id: u64, // the device-manager id this volume's provider serves
     base_lba: u64,
     block_count: u64,
     identity: u64,
@@ -54,13 +55,16 @@ var service_endpoint: ipc.Handle = 0;
 var manager_handle: ?ipc.Handle = null;
 var bounce: memory.DmaRegion = undefined;
 var bounce_ready = false;
-var probed = false;
+/// The currently-mounted volume, or null while no storage is present. The whole
+/// removal lifecycle is this field going null and back: the poll sees the
+/// storage provider leave the device tree (a pulled stick), kills the filesystem
+/// and clears this; when it returns, the poll re-acquires and re-mounts.
 var volume: ?Volume = null;
-/// The storage channel, acquired ONCE and kept — re-acquiring on every probe
-/// retry would leak a handle per attempt on a medium-absent device.
-var storage_device: ?block.Device = null;
 var logged_no_volume = false;
-const probe_retry_ms = 500;
+/// How often the poll checks whether the storage provider is present. Fast
+/// enough that an unplug unmounts promptly; the poll is a bare device-manager
+/// enumerate, no channel work, so it is cheap to run continuously.
+const poll_interval_ms = 500;
 
 // Filesystem supervision, mirroring the device manager's (device-manager.zig):
 // a clean exit is not restarted, a fault restarts with backoff, and a fast
@@ -72,10 +76,16 @@ const backoff_base_ms: u64 = 300;
 var fs_restarts: u32 = 0;
 var fs_spawn_ns: u64 = 0;
 var fs_failed = false;
-/// Set when a backoff timer is pending so its tick respawns rather than probes.
+/// A fat restart is due at `restart_due_ns`; the poll loop performs it once the
+/// backoff has elapsed (one timer, folded into the poll — no second timer).
 var restart_pending = false;
+var restart_due_ns: u64 = 0;
 
-fn acquireStorage() ?block.Device {
+/// The device-manager id of the mass-storage provider currently in the tree, or
+/// null if none. Presence only — no consumer-hello, so calling it every poll
+/// leaks nothing. This is how removal (the id disappears) and insertion (it
+/// appears) are detected.
+fn findStorageDevice() ?u64 {
     const manager = manager_handle orelse opened: {
         const handle = channel.openEndpoint("device-manager") orelse return null;
         manager_handle = handle;
@@ -98,14 +108,21 @@ fn acquireStorage() ?block.Device {
             const entry = std.mem.bytesToValue(Entry, tail[index * @sizeOf(Entry) ..][0..@sizeOf(Entry)]);
             if (entry.device_id == device_manager_protocol.no_device) continue;
             if ((entry.identity >> 16) & 0xff != 0x08 or (entry.identity >> 8) & 0xff != 0x06) continue;
-            const exchanged = driver.helloOn(manager, .consumer, entry.device_id, null, true) orelse return null;
-            const provider = exchanged.channel orelse continue;
-            return .{ .endpoint = provider };
+            return entry.device_id;
         }
         start += count;
     }
 }
 
+/// Consumer-hello the device manager for `device_id`'s block channel. Called
+/// once per insertion (not per poll), so no per-poll handle churn.
+fn openStorage(device_id: u64) ?block.Device {
+    const manager = manager_handle orelse return null;
+    const exchanged = driver.helloOn(manager, .consumer, device_id, null, true) orelse return null;
+    const provider = exchanged.channel orelse return null;
+    return .{ .endpoint = provider };
+}
+
 /// Spawn the filesystem for `v`, confine it to the volume's range, and record
 /// its pid. The confinement is defined for the fresh pid BEFORE the filesystem
 /// runs, so its first read is already bounded; the volume manager is the
@@ -128,51 +145,88 @@ fn spawnFilesystem(v: *Volume) void {
     std.log.info("volume 0x{x} -> {s} (pid {d}), lba {d}, {d} blocks", .{ v.identity, filesystem_binary, pid, v.base_lba, v.block_count });
 }
 
-/// Arm a one-shot timer to (re)spawn the filesystem after backoff — used both
-/// when a spawn step fails and when a running filesystem faults. Distinguished
-/// from the probe timer by `restart_pending`.
+/// Schedule a fat restart after backoff; the poll loop performs it once due.
 fn armRestart() void {
     const delay = if (fs_restarts == 0) backoff_base_ms else backoff_base_ms << @intCast(@min(fs_restarts - 1, 5));
+    restart_due_ns = time.clock() + delay * 1_000_000;
     restart_pending = true;
-    _ = time.timerOnce(service_endpoint, delay);
 }
 
-fn tryProbe() void {
-    if (probed) return;
+/// A storage provider just appeared: open its channel, read block 0, parse the
+/// volume, and spawn its filesystem. On any failure the channel is closed (so a
+/// present-but-unreadable device does not leak a handle every poll) and `volume`
+/// stays null — the next poll retries. A fresh medium gets a fresh supervision
+/// budget.
+fn bringUpVolume(device_id: u64) void {
     if (!bounce_ready) {
         bounce = memory.dmaAlloc(512, memory.dma_coherent | memory.dma_shareable) orelse return;
         bounce_ready = true;
     }
-    // Acquire the storage channel once and keep it: a fresh consumer-hello per
-    // retry would leak a handle every 500 ms on a device whose medium is absent.
-    const device = storage_device orelse acquired: {
-        const d = acquireStorage() orelse return;
-        storage_device = d;
-        break :acquired d;
-    };
+    const device = openStorage(device_id) orelse return;
+    // Attach the read buffer to THIS device (a no-op without an enforcing IOMMU).
+    // The handle is kept, not closed, so it can be re-attached to the next
+    // device after a replug.
     if (bounce.handle) |handle| {
-        if (!device.attach(handle)) return;
-        _ = ipc.close(handle);
-        bounce.handle = null;
-    }
-    const geometry = device.geometry() orelse return;
-    if (!device.read(0, 1, bounce.physical)) return;
-    const sector: [*]const u8 = @ptrFromInt(bounce.virtual);
-    const found = partition.firstVolume(sector[0..512], geometry.block_count) orelse {
-        // No volume yet. On removable media this can mean no medium is present —
-        // keep polling so an inserted medium is picked up (the removal-lifecycle
-        // trigger). Log once, and do NOT terminate the probe.
-        if (!logged_no_volume) {
-            _ = logging.write("volume-manager: no volume on the storage device yet\n");
-            logged_no_volume = true;
+        if (!device.attach(handle)) {
+            _ = ipc.close(device.endpoint);
+            return;
         }
+    }
+    const geometry = device.geometry() orelse {
+        _ = ipc.close(device.endpoint);
         return;
     };
-    volume = .{ .storage = device, .base_lba = found.base_lba, .block_count = found.block_count, .identity = found.identity, .id = volume_id };
-    probed = true;
+    if (!device.read(0, 1, bounce.physical)) {
+        _ = ipc.close(device.endpoint);
+        return;
+    }
+    const sector: [*]const u8 = @ptrFromInt(bounce.virtual);
+    const found = partition.firstVolume(sector[0..512], geometry.block_count) orelse {
+        if (!logged_no_volume) {
+            _ = logging.write("volume-manager: storage present but no recognizable volume\n");
+            logged_no_volume = true;
+        }
+        _ = ipc.close(device.endpoint);
+        return;
+    };
+    logged_no_volume = false;
+    fs_restarts = 0;
+    fs_failed = false;
+    restart_pending = false;
+    volume = .{ .storage = device, .storage_device_id = device_id, .base_lba = found.base_lba, .block_count = found.block_count, .identity = found.identity, .id = volume_id };
     spawnFilesystem(&volume.?);
 }
 
+/// The storage provider left the device tree (a pulled stick): kill the
+/// filesystem so its mounts are retired (the kernel sweeps a dead backend's
+/// mounts), drop the now-dead channel, and clear the volume. The next poll that
+/// sees storage return will re-mount.
+fn removeVolume() void {
+    const v = volume orelse return;
+    std.log.info("storage for volume {d} removed; unmounting", .{v.id});
+    if (v.filesystem_pid != 0) _ = process.kill(v.filesystem_pid);
+    _ = ipc.close(v.storage.endpoint);
+    volume = null;
+    restart_pending = false;
+    fs_restarts = 0;
+    fs_failed = false;
+}
+
+/// One poll tick: perform a due restart, else reconcile presence — mount a newly
+/// present volume, unmount a departed one.
+fn pollTick() void {
+    if (restart_pending and time.clock() >= restart_due_ns) {
+        restart_pending = false;
+        if (volume) |*v| spawnFilesystem(v);
+        return;
+    }
+    if (findStorageDevice()) |device_id| {
+        if (volume == null) bringUpVolume(device_id);
+    } else {
+        if (volume != null) removeVolume();
+    }
+}
+
 /// A filesystem announces itself for the volume it was spawned to serve. Reply
 /// with that volume's block channel (already range-confined to this filesystem's
 /// badge) as the call's returned capability. No channel means the volume is not
@@ -202,23 +256,16 @@ fn initialise(endpoint: ipc.Handle) bool {
     service_endpoint = endpoint;
     _ = logging.write("volume-manager: starting, waiting for a storage device\n");
     _ = process.subscribeExits(endpoint);
-    tryProbe();
-    if (!probed) _ = time.timerOnce(endpoint, probe_retry_ms);
+    pollTick();
+    _ = time.timerOnce(endpoint, poll_interval_ms); // the poll runs for the life of the boot
     return true;
 }
 
 fn onNotification(badge: u64) void {
     const got = ipc.Received{ .len = 0, .badge = badge, .cap = null };
     if (got.isTimer()) {
-        // One timer signal, two jobs, told apart by state: a pending backoff
-        // restart, otherwise the probe retry.
-        if (restart_pending) {
-            restart_pending = false;
-            if (volume) |*v| spawnFilesystem(v);
-            return;
-        }
-        tryProbe();
-        if (!probed) _ = time.timerOnce(service_endpoint, probe_retry_ms);
+        pollTick();
+        _ = time.timerOnce(service_endpoint, poll_interval_ms); // always re-arm: presence is watched continuously
         return;
     }
     // A filesystem died. The exit reason drives the decision, exactly as the
diff --git a/test/qemu_test.py b/test/qemu_test.py
index e3b39ab..1808bb9 100644
--- a/test/qemu_test.py
+++ b/test/qemu_test.py
@@ -79,7 +79,9 @@ ARCHES = {
             "-device", "usb-kbd,bus=xhci.0",
             "-device", "usb-mouse,bus=xhci.0",
             "-drive", f"if=none,id=bootusb,format=raw,file={boot_volume}",
-            "-device", "usb-storage,bus=xhci.0,drive=bootusb,removable=on,bootindex=0",
+            # id=bootstorage + an explicit port so the volume-replug drill can
+            # device_del/device_add it back onto the same freed root port.
+            "-device", "usb-storage,bus=xhci.0,port=3,drive=bootusb,removable=on,bootindex=0,id=bootstorage",
             "-net", "none",
             "-vga", "none", "-device", "VGA,edid=on,xres=1280,yres=720",
             "-display", "none",
@@ -755,6 +757,32 @@ CASES = [
      "timeout": 150,
      "expect": r"fat: mounted /volumes/usb[\s\S]*fat-test: ok",
      "fail":   r"DANOS-TEST-RESULT: FAIL"},
+    # The removal lifecycle (V4, docs/volume-manager-plan.md): pull the boot stick
+    # mid-run. device_del the usb-storage device -> the bus reports the port empty
+    # -> the device manager reaps usb-storage -> the mass-storage child leaves the
+    # tree -> the volume manager's poll sees it gone and kills the FAT service, so
+    # its mounts retire (an honest unmount). The tail (mounted -> removed) can only
+    # be the removal, since the mount precedes the unplug. Discrimination: before
+    # V4 the volume manager stopped polling after the first probe, so it never
+    # noticed the removal — this line is absent.
+    #
+    # The RE-mount on replug is not asserted here: QEMU's device_add of usb-storage
+    # to the boot xHCI controller is not re-presented to the guest (no port-connect
+    # on any port), so it cannot drive the reappearance in this harness. On real
+    # hardware the bus's per-tick port poll catches a reconnect's PORTSC change
+    # (H1/usb-root-replug proves reconnect works on a second controller), and the
+    # volume manager's bringUpVolume remounts when the device returns — bench-
+    # verified, not QEMU-verified. So this case proves the unmount half.
+    {"name": "volume-removal",
+     "build_case": "fat-mount",
+     "smp":    4,
+     "timeout": 150,
+     "qmp_sequence": [
+         {"delay": 8, "command": "device_del", "arguments": {"id": "bootstorage"}},
+     ],
+     "expect": r"(?s)fat: mounted /volumes/usb"
+               r"[\s\S]*volume-manager: storage for volume \d+ removed; unmounting",
+     "fail":   r"DANOS-TEST-RESULT: FAIL"},
     # Volume-manager discovery + probe (V3a, docs/volume-manager-plan.md). Reuses
     # the fat-mount kernel build (the default boot now spawns the volume manager
     # from init.csv). It acquires the mass-storage block channel through the