diff --git a/src/main/api-server/routes-approvals.ts b/src/main/api-server/routes-approvals.ts
index 46f88f59..aaeebfb2 100644
--- a/src/main/api-server/routes-approvals.ts
+++ b/src/main/api-server/routes-approvals.ts
@@ -41,6 +41,33 @@ export function registerApprovalRoutes(server: AgentApiServer) {
       return;
     }
 
+    // Team-building strategy approvals must follow their intended hires.
+    // Accepting an approve_ceo_strategy before any hire_agent requests
+    // exist was observed to re-enter the empty team-building loop (see
+    // comment in ceo-modes/team-building.en.md and §5.2 of 问题.md).
+    // Reject the request at the API boundary so the model cannot
+    // circumvent the ordering by resubmitting.
+    if (input.type === "approve_ceo_strategy") {
+      const companyHireApprovals = db.listCompanyApprovalsByType(companyId, "hire_agent");
+      if (companyHireApprovals.length === 0) {
+        server.json(res, 409, {
+          error: "approve_ceo_strategy requires at least one hire_agent approval to exist first. Submit the intended hires, then file the strategy.",
+          code: "STRATEGY_BEFORE_HIRES",
+        });
+        return;
+      }
+      const existingStrategy = db.listCompanyApprovalsByType(companyId, "approve_ceo_strategy")
+        .find((a) => a.state === "pending" || a.state === "approved");
+      if (existingStrategy) {
+        server.json(res, 409, {
+          error: "approve_ceo_strategy already exists for this company; do not submit another.",
+          code: "STRATEGY_ALREADY_FILED",
+          existingApprovalId: existingStrategy.id,
+        });
+        return;
+      }
+    }
+
     let id: string;
     try {
       id = db.requestApproval({
diff --git a/src/main/database-base.ts b/src/main/database-base.ts
index b6adad96..1133cb60 100644
--- a/src/main/database-base.ts
+++ b/src/main/database-base.ts
@@ -344,6 +344,7 @@ export class AppDatabaseBase {
   listApprovalsForApi(companyId: string, filters: { requestedByAgentId?: string; relatedTaskId?: string; statuses?: string[] | null }) { return this.approvalsMod.listApprovalsForApi(companyId, filters); }
   findPendingApprovalForTask(companyId: string, taskId: string) { return this.approvalsMod.findPendingApprovalForTask(companyId, taskId); }
   hasPendingReviewApprovalForAgent(companyId: string, agentId: string) { return this.approvalsMod.hasPendingReviewApprovalForAgent(companyId, agentId); }
+  listCompanyApprovalsByType(companyId: string, type: string) { return this.approvalsMod.listCompanyApprovalsByType(companyId, type); }
 
   // ─── Workspaces ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
diff --git a/src/main/database/approvals.ts b/src/main/database/approvals.ts
index b5b74231..c2090711 100644
--- a/src/main/database/approvals.ts
+++ b/src/main/database/approvals.ts
@@ -349,6 +349,19 @@ export function buildApprovalMethods(
       return row ?? null;
     },
 
+    /**
+     * Returns every approval in the company whose `type` matches exactly.
+     * Used by the approvals POST route to enforce ordering invariants
+     * (e.g. "approve_ceo_strategy must trail hire_agent").
+     */
+    listCompanyApprovalsByType(companyId: string, type: string): Array<{ id: string; state: string }> {
+      return readAll<{ id: string; state: string }>(
+        `SELECT id, state FROM approvals WHERE company_id = ? AND type = ? ORDER BY created_at ASC`,
+        companyId,
+        type,
+      );
+    },
+
     /**
      * Returns true when the given agent has a pending review-type approval
      * against one of their tasks. Used by checkpoint-engine to decide
diff --git a/src/main/prompt-builder/ceo-modes/team-building.en.md b/src/main/prompt-builder/ceo-modes/team-building.en.md
index d3611412..2e51cbfe 100644
--- a/src/main/prompt-builder/ceo-modes/team-building.en.md
+++ b/src/main/prompt-builder/ceo-modes/team-building.en.md
@@ -2,13 +2,9 @@
 
 You are the new CEO. Your company has no active team members yet. Your single job in this wake is to **staff the company**. Nothing else matters until you have direct reports.
 
-## Critical ordering — do not violate
+## Critical ordering — hires first, strategy approval last
 
-**HIRES FIRST. STRATEGY APPROVAL LAST.**
-
-Do **not** submit `approve_ceo_strategy` until every intended hire has been submitted as a `hire_agent` request. Submitting strategy without hires leaves the company stuck — the strategy auto-approves, the heartbeat fires, and you land back here with nothing changed. This is a loop we have explicitly observed. Avoid it by obeying the order.
-
-If you see in your activity or approvals history that you have previously submitted an `approve_ceo_strategy` approval **and** no `hire_agent` approvals, recognise it as the stuck-loop signature and jump directly to Step 3 (submit hires) on this wake. Do **not** submit another strategy approval.
+File every `hire_agent` request for this team-building wake before you post the single `approve_ceo_strategy` summary. The server enforces this order: `POST /approvals` with `type: "approve_ceo_strategy"` returns `409 STRATEGY_BEFORE_HIRES` while no hire requests exist, and `409 STRATEGY_ALREADY_FILED` if one has already been submitted. Don't try to bypass — the codes are there so the earlier stuck-loop failure mode can no longer recur.
 
 ## Step 1: Analyse the mission and the workspace (fast)