diff --git a/collectors/perf_qemu.py b/collectors/perf_qemu.py
index 17397e2..6e82017 100644
--- a/collectors/perf_qemu.py
+++ b/collectors/perf_qemu.py
@@ -120,11 +120,21 @@ def run_loop(
     stop_event: threading.Event,
     *,
     events: tuple[str, ...] = DEFAULT_EVENTS,
+    emit_event: "callable | None" = None,
 ) -> int:
     """Spawn perf stat -j against ``pid`` and stream rows until stop.
-    Returns the number of rows written."""
+    Returns the number of rows written.
+
+    When ``emit_event`` is provided, perf lifecycle markers
+    (perf_unavailable / perf_started / perf_first_row / perf_no_counters)
+    are written into the orchestrator's events.jsonl. Without this, a
+    silent perf produces only a `rows_perf=0` count in meta.json which
+    is indistinguishable from "perf was never enabled" — the §1
+    silent-downgrade pattern."""
     if not perf_available():
         log.warning("perf binary not on PATH — perf collector disabled")
+        if emit_event is not None:
+            emit_event("perf_unavailable", reason="binary_not_on_path")
         return 0
 
     # perf stat writes its output (including -j JSON) to stderr by
@@ -152,20 +162,43 @@ def run_loop(
         )
     except (FileNotFoundError, PermissionError) as e:
         log.warning("perf launch failed: %s", e)
+        if emit_event is not None:
+            emit_event("perf_unavailable", reason=f"launch_failed: {e}")
         return 0
 
+    if emit_event is not None:
+        emit_event("perf_started", pid=pid, events=list(events),
+                   interval_ms=interval_ms)
+
     rows = 0
     output_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
     cur_interval: float | None = None
     agg: dict[str, int] = {}
+    intervals_seen = 0
+    intervals_with_values = 0
 
     def _flush() -> None:
-        nonlocal rows
-        if cur_interval is None or not agg:
+        nonlocal rows, intervals_seen, intervals_with_values
+        if cur_interval is None:
             return
+        intervals_seen += 1
+        # Always emit a row when an interval is observed, even if every
+        # event came back <not counted>. agg-empty means perf saw the
+        # interval but couldn't measure anything (paranoid level too
+        # high, qemu PID owned by different user, hardware counters
+        # unavailable, etc). Emitting None-valued rows distinguishes
+        # "perf was running but counters were unavailable" from "perf
+        # never ran at all" — which is the §1 visibility requirement
+        # the silent return-without-write was violating.
+        if agg:
+            intervals_with_values += 1
         row = _build_row(t_mono_origin_ns, cur_interval, agg)
         out_f.write(json.dumps(row) + "\n")
         rows += 1
+        if (rows == 1) and emit_event is not None:
+            emit_event("perf_first_row",
+                       counters_populated=bool(agg),
+                       counters=list(agg.keys()))
 
     try:
         with output_path.open("a", buffering=1) as out_f:
@@ -201,6 +234,24 @@ def run_loop(
                     agg[event_name] = value
             # End of stream — flush the last partial row.
             _flush()
+        if emit_event is not None:
+            emit_event(
+                "perf_finished",
+                rows=rows,
+                intervals_seen=intervals_seen,
+                intervals_with_values=intervals_with_values,
+            )
+            if intervals_seen > 0 and intervals_with_values == 0:
+                # Loud signal: perf was running, intervals ticked, but
+                # every event came back <not counted>. Likely cause:
+                # perf_event_paranoid > 2, or qemu PID owned by a
+                # different user than the perf collector.
+                emit_event(
+                    "perf_no_counters",
+                    intervals_seen=intervals_seen,
+                    likely_cause=("perf_event_paranoid > 2 or "
+                                  "qemu PID owned by different user"),
+                )
     finally:
         if proc.poll() is None:
             proc.terminate()
diff --git a/orchestrator/episode.py b/orchestrator/episode.py
index ac493bf..3ce1c8e 100644
--- a/orchestrator/episode.py
+++ b/orchestrator/episode.py
@@ -301,6 +301,11 @@ class EpisodeRunner:
                 t_mono_origin_ns=self._t_mono_origin_ns,
                 interval_ms=self.cfg.perf_interval_ms,
                 stop_event=self._stop,
+                # Per-episode visibility into perf lifecycle so silent
+                # failures (binary missing, paranoid level too high,
+                # all counters <not counted>) surface in events.jsonl
+                # rather than only as rows_perf=0. Refs §1.
+                emit_event=self.emit_event,
             )
 
         threads: list[threading.Thread] = []