diff --git a/api/app.py b/api/app.py
index 99b8fa8..26aa91e 100644
--- a/api/app.py
+++ b/api/app.py
@@ -317,6 +317,7 @@ def _apply_startup_enforcement():
         _cell_subnets = [l['vpn_subnet'] for l in cell_links if l.get('vpn_subnet')]
         firewall_manager.apply_all_peer_rules(peers, wg_subnet=_wg_subnet, cell_subnets=_cell_subnets)
         firewall_manager.apply_all_cell_rules(cell_links)
+        firewall_manager.ensure_forward_stateful()
         firewall_manager.ensure_cell_api_dnat()
         # Embed DNAT rules in PostUp so they survive WireGuard interface restarts,
         # then also apply them immediately for the current session.
diff --git a/api/firewall_manager.py b/api/firewall_manager.py
index 77773fb..8e8804b 100644
--- a/api/firewall_manager.py
+++ b/api/firewall_manager.py
@@ -399,6 +399,10 @@ def apply_cell_rules(cell_name: str, vpn_subnet: str, inbound_services: List[str
                        '-p', 'tcp', '--dport', '3000',
                        '-m', 'comment', '--comment', tag, '-j', 'ACCEPT'])
 
+        # Ensure reply traffic (e.g. ICMP, TCP ACKs) for connections initiated
+        # by local peers to this cell is not dropped by the cell's catch-all DROP.
+        ensure_forward_stateful()
+
         logger.info(
             f"Applied cell rules for {cell_name} ({vpn_subnet}): "
             f"inbound={inbound_services} exit_relay={exit_relay}"
@@ -422,6 +426,30 @@ def apply_all_cell_rules(cell_links: List[Dict[str, Any]]) -> None:
         apply_cell_rules(name, subnet, inbound, exit_relay=exit_relay)
 
 
+def ensure_forward_stateful() -> bool:
+    """Insert a stateful ESTABLISHED/RELATED ACCEPT at the top of FORWARD.
+
+    Cell rules DROP all traffic from a connected cell's subnet except specific
+    service ports. Without conntrack, ICMP replies and TCP ACKs for connections
+    initiated BY local peers to the connected cell are also dropped, making
+    cross-cell routing (peer → cell → remote cell) broken.
+
+    This rule is inserted once and does not carry a peer/cell comment tag, so it
+    is never removed by clear_peer_rules or clear_cell_rules.
+    """
+    try:
+        check = ['-C', 'FORWARD', '-m', 'state', '--state', 'ESTABLISHED,RELATED', '-j', 'ACCEPT']
+        if _wg_exec(['iptables'] + check).returncode == 0:
+            return True  # already present
+        _wg_exec(['iptables', '-I', 'FORWARD', '1', '-m', 'state',
+                  '--state', 'ESTABLISHED,RELATED', '-j', 'ACCEPT'])
+        logger.info('ensure_forward_stateful: inserted ESTABLISHED,RELATED ACCEPT into FORWARD')
+        return True
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.error(f'ensure_forward_stateful: {e}')
+        return False
+
+
 def ensure_cell_api_dnat() -> bool:
     """DNAT wg0:3000 → cell-api:3000 inside cell-wireguard.
 
diff --git a/tests/test_firewall_manager.py b/tests/test_firewall_manager.py
index f61d030..afa04db 100644
--- a/tests/test_firewall_manager.py
+++ b/tests/test_firewall_manager.py
@@ -929,5 +929,56 @@ class TestReconcileStale(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertIn('10.0.0.8', cleared)
 
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# ensure_forward_stateful
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+class TestEnsureForwardStateful(unittest.TestCase):
+    """ensure_forward_stateful must insert ESTABLISHED,RELATED ACCEPT only once."""
+
+    def _make_exec(self, already_present=False):
+        calls = []
+        def fake_wg_exec(args):
+            calls.append(args)
+            r = MagicMock()
+            # -C (check) returns 0 if present, 1 if not
+            if '-C' in args:
+                r.returncode = 0 if already_present else 1
+            else:
+                r.returncode = 0
+            r.stdout = ''
+            return r
+        return calls, fake_wg_exec
+
+    def test_inserts_rule_when_not_present(self):
+        calls, fake = self._make_exec(already_present=False)
+        with patch.object(firewall_manager, '_wg_exec', side_effect=fake):
+            result = firewall_manager.ensure_forward_stateful()
+        self.assertTrue(result)
+        insert_calls = [c for c in calls if '-I' in c]
+        self.assertEqual(len(insert_calls), 1)
+        flat = ' '.join(insert_calls[0])
+        self.assertIn('ESTABLISHED,RELATED', flat)
+        self.assertIn('ACCEPT', flat)
+
+    def test_skips_insert_when_already_present(self):
+        calls, fake = self._make_exec(already_present=True)
+        with patch.object(firewall_manager, '_wg_exec', side_effect=fake):
+            result = firewall_manager.ensure_forward_stateful()
+        self.assertTrue(result)
+        insert_calls = [c for c in calls if '-I' in c]
+        self.assertEqual(len(insert_calls), 0, "Must not insert duplicate rule")
+
+    def test_apply_cell_rules_calls_ensure_forward_stateful(self):
+        """apply_cell_rules must call ensure_forward_stateful so replies are never dropped."""
+        with patch.object(firewall_manager, '_wg_exec', return_value=MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout='')), \
+             patch.object(firewall_manager, '_get_caddy_container_ip', return_value='172.20.0.2'), \
+             patch.object(firewall_manager, '_get_dns_container_ip', return_value='172.20.0.3'), \
+             patch.object(firewall_manager, '_get_cell_api_ip', return_value='172.20.0.10'), \
+             patch.object(firewall_manager, 'ensure_forward_stateful') as mock_stateful:
+            firewall_manager.apply_cell_rules('testcell', '10.0.0.0/24', [])
+        mock_stateful.assert_called_once()
+
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     unittest.main()