diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a399e73..dd472c9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -42,19 +42,27 @@ VLC's plist is the source of truth for "where did we leave off" — no parallel
 | Tool | Inputs | What it does |
 |---|---|---|
 | `black_status` | — | `{playing, paused, title, volume, position, duration, playlist_pos, playlist_count}` (or `{playing:false}`) |
-| `black_play_show` | `show: string, season?, episode?` | resolve a show under black's `tv/cartoons/anime` (prefers a 1080p release), build an ordered playlist, play to the end |
+| `black_play_show` | `show: string, season?, episode?` | resolve a show under black's `tv/cartoons/anime` (prefers a 1080p release), build an ordered playlist, play **from the start** to the end |
+| `black_resume_show` | `show: string` | **continue watching** — resume the exact episode + second last stopped (falls back to start if no saved position) |
 | `black_play_file` | `path: string` | play a file or directory by absolute path on black |
+| `black_enqueue` | `target: string` | append a file/dir/show to the current playlist without interrupting |
+| `black_play_index` | `index: number` | jump to a 0-based playlist entry |
 | `black_play_pause` / `black_resume` | — | live pause toggle / resume |
 | `black_set_volume` | `volume: 0..130` | live; 100 = normal, >100 = software boost |
 | `black_seek_relative` | `seconds: number` | live +/- seek |
 | `black_next` / `black_previous` | — | playlist nav (next/prev episode) |
+| `black_watched` | `show?: string` | black's local watch history (newest last) |
 | `black_stop` | — | stop and release the display |
 
+**Persistence.** An mpv Lua hook ([`src/blacktv/black-tv-watch.lua`](src/blacktv/black-tv-watch.lua), deployed to `/usr/local/share/black-tv/`) records a `play` event per episode to a black-local watch log and snapshots the current position into a per-show `resume.json` (`$XDG_STATE_HOME/black-tv/`, i.e. lilith's home on black). `black_resume_show` reads that map and the hook **self-seeks the first file** to the saved second — so resume never leaks into later episodes (a global `--start` would). This state is **black-local on purpose**: it is read over SSH, never written to plum's log over NFS (the flakiest link). `black_play_show` uses `--no-resume-playback`, so deliberate restarts always begin at 0.
+
 All black-side logic lives in [`src/blacktv/black-tv.sh`](src/blacktv/black-tv.sh) (deployed to `/usr/local/bin/black-tv` on black); the TS layer just SSHes to it (`lilith@10.9.0.4`), mirroring how `transmission_*` wraps `transmission-remote`. The script brings up the GPU driver on demand (nouveau, atomic KMS) since black boots headless. **No HDMI-CEC** — the TV must be powered on by hand. Deploy/update with:
 
 ```sh
 scp src/blacktv/black-tv.sh black-wg:/tmp/black-tv && \
   ssh black-wg 'sudo install -m0755 /tmp/black-tv /usr/local/bin/black-tv'
+scp src/blacktv/black-tv-watch.lua black-wg:/tmp/h.lua && \
+  ssh black-wg 'sudo install -D -m0644 /tmp/h.lua /usr/local/share/black-tv/black-tv-watch.lua'
 ```
 
 ## Setup
diff --git a/src/blacktv/black-tv-watch.lua b/src/blacktv/black-tv-watch.lua
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..10edf40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/blacktv/black-tv-watch.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+-- black-tv-watch.lua — playback persistence for black-tv.
+--
+-- Loaded by mpv (`--script=`). Two jobs, both black-local (this state never
+-- crosses to plum — see README): append a "play" event to a watch history on
+-- every file load, and keep a small per-show "resume.json" map of the last
+-- position so `black-tv resume-show` can pick up the exact episode + second.
+--
+-- It also performs the resume seek itself: when launched with
+-- `--script-opts=blacktv-resume_seconds=N`, it seeks the FIRST loaded file to N
+-- and then forgets it — so resume can never leak into later episodes the way a
+-- global --start does. Every fs op is guarded; a failure here must never take
+-- down playback.
+
+local utils = require "mp.utils"
+local options = require "mp.options"
+
+local opts = {
+  state_dir = "",                  -- explicit state dir (script passes this); else XDG/HOME
+  media_root = "/bigdisk/_/media", -- to derive the show-dir key from a path
+  resume_seconds = -1,             -- seek first file here, then forget (<0 = disabled)
+  save_interval = 20,              -- seconds between position snapshots
+}
+options.read_options(opts, "blacktv")
+
+if opts.state_dir == "" then
+  local xdg = os.getenv("XDG_STATE_HOME")
+  local home = os.getenv("HOME") or "."
+  if xdg and xdg ~= "" then opts.state_dir = xdg .. "/black-tv" else opts.state_dir = home .. "/.local/state/black-tv" end
+end
+local WATCHLOG = opts.state_dir .. "/watched.jsonl"
+local RESUME = opts.state_dir .. "/resume.json"
+local resume_pending = tonumber(opts.resume_seconds) or -1
+
+local function ensure_dir()
+  os.execute('mkdir -p "' .. opts.state_dir .. '" 2>/dev/null')
+end
+
+-- show key = the directory immediately under <media_root>/<category>/ (e.g.
+-- "Psych"). Matches how black-tv.sh resolves shows, so the bash side owns
+-- show-name handling and this script doesn't duplicate the normalize regex.
+local function show_key(path)
+  local root = opts.media_root:gsub("/+$", "")
+  if path:sub(1, #root + 1) == root .. "/" then
+    local rel = path:sub(#root + 2)
+    local _, show = rel:match("^([^/]+)/([^/]+)")
+    if show and show ~= "" then return show end
+  end
+  return mp.get_property("filename/no-ext") or "unknown"
+end
+
+local function season_episode(path)
+  local s, e = path:match("[Ss](%d+)[Ee](%d+)")
+  return tonumber(s) or 0, tonumber(e) or 0
+end
+
+local function now_iso()
+  return os.date("!%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ")
+end
+
+local function append_play(path)
+  ensure_dir()
+  local s, e = season_episode(path)
+  local ev = {
+    ts = now_iso(), event = "play", show = show_key(path),
+    season = s, episode = e,
+    label = mp.get_property("filename/no-ext") or "", path = path,
+  }
+  local ok, line = pcall(utils.format_json, ev)
+  if not ok then return end
+  local f = io.open(WATCHLOG, "a")
+  if f then f:write(line .. "\n"); f:close() end
+end
+
+local function read_resume_map()
+  local f = io.open(RESUME, "r")
+  if not f then return {} end
+  local txt = f:read("*a"); f:close()
+  local t = utils.parse_json(txt or "")
+  return (type(t) == "table") and t or {}
+end
+
+local function save_position()
+  local path = mp.get_property("path")
+  local pos = mp.get_property_number("time-pos")
+  if not path or not pos then return end
+  ensure_dir()
+  local m = read_resume_map()
+  local s, e = season_episode(path)
+  m[show_key(path)] = { path = path, season = s, episode = e, seconds = pos, ts = now_iso() }
+  local ok, body = pcall(utils.format_json, m)
+  if not ok then return end
+  local tmp = RESUME .. ".tmp"
+  local f = io.open(tmp, "w")
+  if f then f:write(body); f:close(); os.rename(tmp, RESUME) end
+end
+
+mp.register_event("file-loaded", function()
+  local path = mp.get_property("path")
+  if path then append_play(path) end
+  if resume_pending and resume_pending >= 0 then
+    mp.commandv("seek", tostring(resume_pending), "absolute", "exact")
+    resume_pending = -1 -- first file only
+  end
+end)
+
+mp.add_periodic_timer(opts.save_interval, save_position)
+mp.register_event("end-file", save_position)
+mp.register_event("shutdown", save_position)
diff --git a/src/blacktv/black-tv.sh b/src/blacktv/black-tv.sh
index 472bbe7..ecb1489 100644
--- a/src/blacktv/black-tv.sh
+++ b/src/blacktv/black-tv.sh
@@ -24,7 +24,12 @@ SOCK="/tmp/mpv.sock"
 PLAYLIST="/tmp/net-tv.m3u"
 CONNECTOR="HDMI-A-1"               # the Samsung TV; DVI-I-1 is a spurious phantom
 AUDIO_DEV="alsa/hdmi:CARD=NVidia,DEV=0"  # sets HDMI IEC958 bits; plughw does not
-DEFAULT_VOL=50
+DEFAULT_VOL="${BLACKTV_VOLUME:-100}"
+# black-local playback state (mpv hook writes it; never crosses to plum)
+STATE_DIR="${XDG_STATE_HOME:-$HOME/.local/state}/black-tv"
+WATCHLOG="$STATE_DIR/watched.jsonl"
+RESUME="$STATE_DIR/resume.json"
+LUA="/usr/local/share/black-tv/black-tv-watch.lua"  # mpv persistence hook
 # whole-path, case-insensitive video match (GNU find)
 VIDEO_RE='.*\.\(mkv\|mp4\|avi\|m4v\|webm\|ts\)$'
 
@@ -77,13 +82,21 @@ kill_existing() {
   rm -f "$SOCK" 2>/dev/null || true
   sleep 1
 }
-launch() { # launch <playlist-file>
+launch() { # launch <playlist-file> [resume_seconds]
   ensure_display
   kill_existing
+  mkdir -p "$STATE_DIR" 2>/dev/null || true
+  local resume="${2:--1}"
+  # the persistence hook records history + position and self-seeks the first
+  # file to <resume_seconds>; if the hook isn't deployed, mpv still plays.
+  local hook=()
+  [ -f "$LUA" ] && hook=(--script="$LUA" \
+    --script-opts="blacktv-state_dir=$STATE_DIR,blacktv-media_root=$MEDIA_ROOT,blacktv-resume_seconds=$resume")
   sudo systemd-run --unit="$UNIT" --collect \
     mpv --vo=drm --drm-connector="$CONNECTOR" \
         --ao=alsa --audio-device="$AUDIO_DEV" --audio-channels=stereo \
         --volume="$DEFAULT_VOL" --input-ipc-server="$SOCK" \
+        --no-resume-playback "${hook[@]}" \
         --fs --really-quiet --playlist="$1"
 }
 
@@ -131,6 +144,28 @@ build_show_playlist() { # <showdir> <season?> <episode?> -> writes $PLAYLIST
   rm -f "$PLAYLIST.all"
 }
 
+read_resume_for_key() { # <show-dir-basename> -> "<path>\t<seconds>" (empty if none)
+  [ -f "$RESUME" ] || return 0
+  python3 - "$RESUME" "$1" <<'PY' 2>/dev/null || true
+import json, sys
+try:
+    e = json.load(open(sys.argv[1])).get(sys.argv[2])
+    if e and e.get("path"):
+        print("%s\t%s" % (e["path"], e.get("seconds", 0)))
+except Exception:
+    pass
+PY
+}
+build_resume_playlist() { # <showdir> <resume-path> -> writes $PLAYLIST from that ep onward
+  local showdir="$1" rpath="$2" base start
+  base=$(pick_release_root "$showdir")
+  find "$base" -type f -iregex "$VIDEO_RE" ! -ipath '*/Specials/*' ! -ipath '*/Extras/*' \
+    | sort > "$PLAYLIST.all"
+  start=$(grep -nF "$rpath" "$PLAYLIST.all" | head -1 | cut -d: -f1)
+  if [ -n "$start" ]; then tail -n +"$start" "$PLAYLIST.all" > "$PLAYLIST"; else cp "$PLAYLIST.all" "$PLAYLIST"; fi
+  rm -f "$PLAYLIST.all"
+}
+
 status_json() {
   if [ ! -S "$SOCK" ]; then echo '{"playing":false}'; return; fi
   printf '{"playing":true,"paused":%s,"title":%s,"volume":%s,"position":%s,"duration":%s,"playlist_pos":%s,"playlist_count":%s}\n' \
@@ -159,6 +194,40 @@ case "$cmd" in
     [ "${n:-0}" -gt 0 ] || die "no episodes found for: $1"
     launch "$PLAYLIST"
     echo "playing $n episode(s) from $(basename "$showdir")${2:+ starting S${2}${3:+E${3}}}" ;;
+  resume-show)
+    [ $# -ge 1 ] || die "usage: black-tv resume-show <query>"
+    showdir=$(resolve_show "$1") || true
+    [ -n "$showdir" ] || die "show not found: $1"
+    rdata=$(read_resume_for_key "$(basename "$showdir")")
+    if [ -z "$rdata" ]; then
+      build_show_playlist "$showdir"
+      n=$(wc -l < "$PLAYLIST"); [ "${n:-0}" -gt 0 ] || die "no episodes found for: $1"
+      launch "$PLAYLIST"
+      echo "no saved position for $(basename "$showdir") — playing $n from start"
+    else
+      rpath=$(printf '%s' "$rdata" | cut -f1); rsec=$(printf '%s' "$rdata" | cut -f2)
+      build_resume_playlist "$showdir" "$rpath"
+      n=$(wc -l < "$PLAYLIST"); [ "${n:-0}" -gt 0 ] || die "could not rebuild playlist for: $1"
+      launch "$PLAYLIST" "$rsec"
+      echo "resuming $(basename "$showdir") at $(basename "$rpath") +${rsec%.*}s ($n eps queued)"
+    fi ;;
+  enqueue)
+    [ $# -ge 1 ] || die "usage: black-tv enqueue <file|dir|show-query>"
+    [ -S "$SOCK" ] || die "nothing playing — use play/play-show first"
+    if [ -e "$1" ]; then
+      if [ -d "$1" ]; then build_dir_playlist "$1" >/dev/null; else printf '%s\n' "$1" > "$PLAYLIST"; fi
+    else
+      sd=$(resolve_show "$1") || true; [ -n "$sd" ] || die "not found: $1"; build_show_playlist "$sd"
+    fi
+    n=$(wc -l < "$PLAYLIST"); [ "${n:-0}" -gt 0 ] || die "nothing to enqueue"
+    ipc "{\"command\":[\"loadlist\",\"$PLAYLIST\",\"append\"]}" >/dev/null
+    echo "enqueued $n item(s)" ;;
+  goto-ep)
+    [ $# -ge 1 ] || die "usage: black-tv goto-ep <index 0-based>"
+    setprop playlist-pos "$1"; echo "playlist-pos=$(getprop playlist-pos)" ;;
+  watched)
+    [ -f "$WATCHLOG" ] || { echo "[]"; exit 0; }
+    if [ $# -ge 1 ]; then grep -iF "$1" "$WATCHLOG" | tail -100; else tail -100 "$WATCHLOG"; fi ;;
   pause)   setprop pause true;  echo paused ;;
   resume)  setprop pause false; echo resumed ;;
   toggle)
@@ -170,5 +239,5 @@ case "$cmd" in
   stop)    sudo systemctl stop "$UNIT" 2>/dev/null || true; sudo pkill -x mpv 2>/dev/null || true; rm -f "$SOCK"; echo stopped ;;
   status)  status_json ;;
   ensure-display) ensure_display; echo "display ready: $(cat /sys/class/drm/card0-${CONNECTOR}/status 2>/dev/null)" ;;
-  *) die "usage: black-tv {play <path>|play-show <q> [S] [E]|pause|resume|toggle|vol N|seek S|next|prev|stop|status|ensure-display}" ;;
+  *) die "usage: black-tv {play <path>|play-show <q> [S] [E]|resume-show <q>|enqueue <x>|goto-ep N|pause|resume|toggle|vol N|seek S|next|prev|stop|status|watched [q]|ensure-display}" ;;
 esac
diff --git a/src/blacktv/client.ts b/src/blacktv/client.ts
index a7e16e8..85e6242 100644
--- a/src/blacktv/client.ts
+++ b/src/blacktv/client.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,16 @@ export interface BlackStatus {
   playlist_count?: number;
 }
 
+export interface WatchEvent {
+  ts: string;
+  event: string;
+  show: string;
+  season: number;
+  episode: number;
+  label: string;
+  path: string;
+}
+
 export function blackPlayShow(show: string, season?: number, episode?: number): string {
   const args = [show];
   if (season !== undefined) {
@@ -42,6 +52,29 @@ export function blackPlayShow(show: string, season?: number, episode?: number):
   return run("play-show", args);
 }
 
+export function blackResumeShow(show: string): string {
+  return run("resume-show", [show]);
+}
+
+export function blackEnqueue(target: string): string {
+  return run("enqueue", [target]);
+}
+
+export function blackPlayIndex(index: number): string {
+  return run("goto-ep", [String(index)]);
+}
+
+export function blackWatched(show?: string): WatchEvent[] {
+  const out = run("watched", show ? [show] : []);
+  if (out.trim() === "[]") return [];
+  const events: WatchEvent[] = [];
+  for (const line of out.split("\n")) {
+    if (line.trim().length === 0) continue;
+    try { events.push(JSON.parse(line) as WatchEvent); } catch { /* skip non-JSON */ }
+  }
+  return events;
+}
+
 export function blackPlayFile(path: string): string {
   return run("play", [path]);
 }
diff --git a/src/blacktv/tools.ts b/src/blacktv/tools.ts
index a54f9e3..f1882aa 100644
--- a/src/blacktv/tools.ts
+++ b/src/blacktv/tools.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,18 @@
 import {
+  blackEnqueue,
   blackNext,
   blackPlayFile,
+  blackPlayIndex,
   blackPlayShow,
   blackPrevious,
   blackResume,
+  blackResumeShow,
   blackSeekRelative,
   blackSetVolume,
   blackStatus,
   blackStop,
   blackTogglePause,
+  blackWatched,
 } from "./client.ts";
 
 // MCP tool definitions for the HDMI TV attached to black. Unlike the vlc_*
@@ -35,6 +39,17 @@ export const BLACKTV_TOOLS = [
       required: ["show"],
     },
   },
+  {
+    name: "black_resume_show",
+    description: "Resume a show on black's TV from where it was last stopped — the exact episode AND second (position is persisted on black per-show). Falls back to playing from the start if there's no saved position. This is the 'continue watching' verb; use black_play_show to deliberately start over.",
+    inputSchema: {
+      type: "object" as const,
+      properties: {
+        show: { type: "string" as const, description: "Show name or substring, e.g. 'psych'." },
+      },
+      required: ["show"],
+    },
+  },
   {
     name: "black_play_file",
     description: "Play a single file or directory on black's TV by absolute path on black's filesystem (e.g. /bigdisk/_/media/...). A directory becomes an ordered playlist of the video files under it.",
@@ -46,6 +61,38 @@ export const BLACKTV_TOOLS = [
       required: ["path"],
     },
   },
+  {
+    name: "black_enqueue",
+    description: "Append to the current playlist on black's TV without interrupting playback. Accepts an absolute path (file or directory) on black, or a show name/substring (whole show is appended).",
+    inputSchema: {
+      type: "object" as const,
+      properties: {
+        target: { type: "string" as const, description: "Absolute path on black, or a show name/substring." },
+      },
+      required: ["target"],
+    },
+  },
+  {
+    name: "black_play_index",
+    description: "Jump to a specific entry in black's TV playlist by 0-based index (e.g. 0 = first episode). Live via mpv IPC.",
+    inputSchema: {
+      type: "object" as const,
+      properties: {
+        index: { type: "number" as const, description: "0-based playlist index." },
+      },
+      required: ["index"],
+    },
+  },
+  {
+    name: "black_watched",
+    description: "black's local watch history (every episode played on the TV), newest last. Optionally filter by a substring. Returns parsed watch events; empty array if nothing has been recorded yet.",
+    inputSchema: {
+      type: "object" as const,
+      properties: {
+        show: { type: "string" as const, description: "Optional case-insensitive substring filter." },
+      },
+    },
+  },
   {
     name: "black_play_pause",
     description: "Toggle play/pause on black's TV (live, via mpv IPC — does not restart playback).",
@@ -103,9 +150,24 @@ export function dispatchBlacktv(name: string, args: Record<string, unknown>): un
       return blackPlayShow(show, season, episode);
     }
 
+    case "black_resume_show":
+      return blackResumeShow(strArg(args, "show"));
+
     case "black_play_file":
       return blackPlayFile(strArg(args, "path"));
 
+    case "black_enqueue":
+      return blackEnqueue(strArg(args, "target"));
+
+    case "black_play_index": {
+      const index = numArg(args, "index");
+      if (index < 0 || !Number.isInteger(index)) throw new Error("index must be a non-negative integer");
+      return blackPlayIndex(index);
+    }
+
+    case "black_watched":
+      return blackWatched(args["show"] === undefined ? undefined : strArg(args, "show"));
+
     case "black_play_pause":
       return blackTogglePause();