diff --git a/lib/config.js b/lib/config.js
index 04a9ea4..5593813 100644
--- a/lib/config.js
+++ b/lib/config.js
@@ -175,6 +175,79 @@ function loadOrCreateIdentity(name) {
   return identity;
 }
 
+/**
+ * True if `pid` refers to a live process. `process.kill(pid, 0)` sends no
+ * signal but throws ESRCH when the process is gone; EPERM means the
+ * process exists but isn't ours to signal (still alive). Works on POSIX
+ * and Windows in Node.
+ * @param {number} pid
+ * @returns {boolean}
+ */
+function pidIsAlive(pid) {
+  if (!Number.isFinite(pid)) return false;
+  try {
+    process.kill(pid, 0);
+    return true;
+  } catch (e) {
+    return e.code === 'EPERM';
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Read the holder PID from a node's lockfile, or null if the lockfile is
+ * absent, unreadable, or has non-numeric content.
+ * @param {string} name — node name
+ * @returns {number|null}
+ */
+function lockHolderPid(name) {
+  try {
+    const pid = parseInt(
+      fs.readFileSync(path.join(nodeDir(name), 'lock.pid'), 'utf8').trim(),
+      10,
+    );
+    return Number.isFinite(pid) ? pid : null;
+  } catch {
+    return null; // no lockfile / unreadable → treat as free
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Resolve an available node name by appending `-2`/`-3`/… when the base is
+ * already held by a LIVE foreign process. This is the lib-level equivalent
+ * of the strict `acquireIdentityLock` liveness check, but instead of
+ * throwing EIDENTITYLOCK on a collision it returns the next free name so a
+ * second co-resident process can coexist — a duplicate dev agent, two
+ * sessions sharing a fixed SYM_NODE_NAME, etc. Every SymNode host (the
+ * `sym` CLI, sym-mesh-channel, sym-swift, custom agents) gets the same
+ * collision-resilience by resolving the name through here before
+ * constructing the node, instead of each host reimplementing it.
+ *
+ * A base that is free, held by a DEAD process, or held by OUR OWN process
+ * is returned unchanged — `acquireIdentityLock` reclaims stale/own locks
+ * on start(). Candidates that would exceed the 64-byte name limit are
+ * skipped. If every candidate up to `maxSuffix` is a live foreign holder,
+ * the base is returned unchanged so `acquireIdentityLock` still throws —
+ * preserving the hard-fail as a backstop rather than overflowing silently.
+ *
+ * @param {string} base — desired node name
+ * @param {object} [opts]
+ * @param {number} [opts.maxSuffix=64] — highest suffix index to try
+ * @returns {string} an available name (`base` or `base-N`)
+ */
+function resolveAvailableName(base, { maxSuffix = 64 } = {}) {
+  validateName(base);
+  for (let i = 0; i < maxSuffix; i++) {
+    const candidate = i === 0 ? base : `${base}-${i + 1}`;
+    if (Buffer.byteLength(candidate, 'utf8') > 64) continue; // would fail validateName
+    const holder = lockHolderPid(candidate);
+    if (holder !== null && holder !== process.pid && pidIsAlive(holder)) {
+      continue; // live foreign holder → try the next suffix
+    }
+    return candidate; // free, ours, or a stale lock acquire will reclaim
+  }
+  return base;
+}
+
 /**
  * Acquire an exclusive lock on a node identity. Prevents two processes
  * from claiming the same nodeId on the same host, which would cause
@@ -225,18 +298,9 @@ function acquireIdentityLock(name) {
           } catch {}
         };
       }
-      // process.kill(pid, 0) sends no signal but throws ESRCH if the
-      // process is dead. Works on POSIX and Windows in Node.
-      let alive = false;
-      try {
-        process.kill(holderPid, 0);
-        alive = true;
-      } catch (e) {
-        // ESRCH = no such process; EPERM = exists but we can't signal
-        // (still alive, just not ours). Both indicate "exists" except ESRCH.
-        if (e.code === 'EPERM') alive = true;
-      }
-      if (alive) {
+      // Liveness via process.kill(pid, 0) — see pidIsAlive (ESRCH = dead,
+      // EPERM = alive-but-not-ours). Works on POSIX and Windows in Node.
+      if (pidIsAlive(holderPid)) {
         const err = new Error(
           `Identity '${name}' is already locked by PID ${holderPid}. ` +
           `Only one SymNode process can hold a given nodeId on a host. ` +
@@ -305,6 +369,9 @@ module.exports = {
   generateSigningKeyPair,
   loadOrCreateIdentity,
   normalizeMdnsHostname,
+  pidIsAlive,
+  lockHolderPid,
+  resolveAvailableName,
   acquireIdentityLock,
   log,
 };
diff --git a/lib/node.js b/lib/node.js
index 5e1f3d2..bc1d07e 100644
--- a/lib/node.js
+++ b/lib/node.js
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ const net = require('net');
 const path = require('path');
 const { EventEmitter } = require('events');
 const { MeshNode } = require('@sym-bot/core');
-const { nodeDir, loadOrCreateIdentity, acquireIdentityLock, log: logMsg } = require('./config');
+const { nodeDir, loadOrCreateIdentity, acquireIdentityLock, resolveAvailableName, log: logMsg } = require('./config');
 const { MemoryStore } = require('./memory-store');
 const {
   encode, DIM, createCMB, renderContent, FIELD_WEIGHT_PROFILES,
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ class SymNode extends EventEmitter {
    * @param {string} [opts.relayToken] — relay authentication token
    * @param {boolean} [opts.relayOnly=false] — skip LAN discovery, relay only
    * @param {boolean} [opts.silent=false] — suppress log output
+   * @param {boolean} [opts.autoSuffix=false] — on a same-host name collision, resolve to `<name>-2`/`-3`/… instead of throwing EIDENTITYLOCK, so co-resident processes coexist. Read `node.name` for the resolved value (`node.requestedName` keeps the original).
    * @param {function} [opts.onSynthesis] — synthesis delegate for xMesh insights
    * @param {number} [opts.heartbeatInterval=5000] — heartbeat check interval in ms
    * @param {number} [opts.heartbeatTimeout=15000] — heartbeat timeout in ms
@@ -64,7 +65,17 @@ class SymNode extends EventEmitter {
     if (!opts.name) throw new Error('SymNode requires a name');
     this._silent = opts.silent || false;
 
-    this.name = opts.name;
+    // opts.autoSuffix (default off): when two co-resident processes want the
+    // same name — a duplicate dev agent, or sessions sharing a fixed
+    // SYM_NODE_NAME — resolve to `<name>-2`/`-3`/… instead of hard-failing
+    // with EIDENTITYLOCK. The name is resolved BEFORE identity/dir/lock are
+    // derived below, so all three key off the final coexisting name. Default
+    // stays strict (throw) so hosts that rely on the lock to detect a
+    // double-launch keep that behavior. Hosts can read back `node.name` to
+    // see the resolved value. The base is kept when free, held by a dead
+    // process, or held by us (acquireIdentityLock reclaims stale/own locks).
+    this.requestedName = opts.name;
+    this.name = opts.autoSuffix ? resolveAvailableName(opts.name) : opts.name;
     this.nodeId = null; // set after identity loaded (see below)
     this._cognitiveProfile = opts.cognitiveProfile || null;
     this._moodThreshold = opts.moodThreshold ?? 0.8;
diff --git a/tests/config.test.js b/tests/config.test.js
index 8981297..ce8e935 100644
--- a/tests/config.test.js
+++ b/tests/config.test.js
@@ -5,10 +5,11 @@ const assert = require('node:assert');
 const fs = require('fs');
 const path = require('path');
 const os = require('os');
+const { spawn } = require('child_process');
 const {
   SYM_DIR, NODES_DIR, ensureDir, nodeDir,
   uuidv7, validateName, generateSigningKeyPair, loadOrCreateIdentity,
-  normalizeMdnsHostname, log,
+  normalizeMdnsHostname, pidIsAlive, lockHolderPid, resolveAvailableName, log,
 } = require('../lib/config');
 
 describe('uuidv7', () => {
@@ -208,6 +209,104 @@ describe('nodeDir', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('resolveAvailableName', () => {
+  const base = `test-resolve-${Date.now()}`;
+  const writeLock = (name, pid) => {
+    ensureDir(nodeDir(name));
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(nodeDir(name), 'lock.pid'), String(pid));
+  };
+  // A real, live, foreign process (our child — alive, pid !== process.pid).
+  let liveChild;
+  before(() => {
+    liveChild = spawn(process.execPath, ['-e', 'setInterval(() => {}, 1000)'], { stdio: 'ignore' });
+  });
+  after(() => {
+    if (liveChild) { try { liveChild.kill('SIGKILL'); } catch {} }
+    for (let i = 1; i <= 4; i++) {
+      const n = i === 1 ? base : `${base}-${i}`;
+      fs.rmSync(nodeDir(n), { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+    fs.rmSync(nodeDir(`${base}-long`), { recursive: true, force: true });
+  });
+
+  it('returns the base name when no lockfile exists', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(resolveAvailableName(base), base);
+  });
+
+  it('returns the base name when the holder PID is dead (stale lock)', () => {
+    writeLock(base, 2147483646); // implausible PID → ESRCH → treated as free
+    assert.strictEqual(resolveAvailableName(base), base);
+  });
+
+  it('returns the base name when the holder is our own process', () => {
+    writeLock(base, process.pid);
+    assert.strictEqual(resolveAvailableName(base), base);
+  });
+
+  it('suffixes to -2 when the base is held by a live foreign process', () => {
+    writeLock(base, liveChild.pid);
+    assert.strictEqual(resolveAvailableName(base), `${base}-2`);
+  });
+
+  it('skips multiple live holders to the next free suffix', () => {
+    writeLock(base, liveChild.pid);
+    writeLock(`${base}-2`, liveChild.pid);
+    assert.strictEqual(resolveAvailableName(base), `${base}-3`);
+  });
+
+  it('keeps a suffixed slot whose prior holder has died', () => {
+    writeLock(base, liveChild.pid);     // base: live → skip
+    writeLock(`${base}-2`, 2147483646); // -2: dead → reclaimable
+    assert.strictEqual(resolveAvailableName(base), `${base}-2`);
+  });
+
+  it('does not overflow the 64-byte name limit (skips over-long candidates)', () => {
+    // A base near the limit: appending "-2" would exceed 64 bytes, so that
+    // candidate is skipped. With the base held live and no room to suffix,
+    // it falls back to the base (acquireIdentityLock then hard-fails).
+    const longBase = 'x'.repeat(63); // 63 bytes; "-2" → 65 bytes, over limit
+    ensureDir(nodeDir(longBase));
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(nodeDir(longBase), 'lock.pid'), String(liveChild.pid));
+    assert.strictEqual(resolveAvailableName(longBase), longBase);
+    fs.rmSync(nodeDir(longBase), { recursive: true, force: true });
+  });
+
+  it('validates the base name (throws on invalid input)', () => {
+    assert.throws(() => resolveAvailableName(''), /non-empty string/);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('pidIsAlive', () => {
+  it('is true for our own process', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(pidIsAlive(process.pid), true);
+  });
+  it('is false for an implausible/dead PID', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(pidIsAlive(2147483646), false);
+  });
+  it('is false for non-finite input', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(pidIsAlive(NaN), false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('lockHolderPid', () => {
+  const name = `test-holder-${Date.now()}`;
+  after(() => { fs.rmSync(nodeDir(name), { recursive: true, force: true }); });
+
+  it('returns null when no lockfile exists', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(lockHolderPid(name), null);
+  });
+  it('returns the numeric PID when present', () => {
+    ensureDir(nodeDir(name));
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(nodeDir(name), 'lock.pid'), '12345');
+    assert.strictEqual(lockHolderPid(name), 12345);
+  });
+  it('returns null for non-numeric content', () => {
+    ensureDir(nodeDir(name));
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(nodeDir(name), 'lock.pid'), 'not-a-pid');
+    assert.strictEqual(lockHolderPid(name), null);
+  });
+});
+
 describe('log', () => {
   it('should not throw', () => {
     assert.doesNotThrow(() => log('test', 'hello'));