diff --git a/lib/app/commands/drafts.js b/lib/app/commands/drafts.js
index 6648ce3..a00fb2d 100644
--- a/lib/app/commands/drafts.js
+++ b/lib/app/commands/drafts.js
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ import { failure, success } from './result.js';
 
 const USAGE = 'Usage: /evolver-drafts [publish|discard <number>]';
 
-async function discard({ drafts, clock }, draft) {
-  await drafts.update((list) => withoutDraft(list, draft.id, clock.now()));
+async function discard({ drafts }, draft) {
+  await drafts.update((list) => withoutDraft(list, draft.id));
   return success(`Discarded "${draft.title}".`);
 }
 
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ async function publish(ports, draft) {
   const request = submitRequestOf(draft);
   const answered = await ports.proxy.request(request.method, request.path, request.body);
   if (!answered.ok) return failure(`"${draft.title}" was not submitted: ${answered.error}`);
-  await ports.drafts.update((list) => withoutDraft(list, draft.id, ports.clock.now()));
+  await ports.drafts.update((list) => withoutDraft(list, draft.id));
   return success(`Submitted "${draft.title}" to the EvoMap Hub for review (message ${answered.data?.message_id ?? 'pending'}).`);
 }
 
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ export default {
   hint: '[publish|discard <number>]',
   async run(ports, { args }) {
     const [action = '', selector = ''] = args.trim().split(/\s+/);
-    const list = withoutDraft(await ports.drafts.read(), null, ports.clock.now());
+    const list = await ports.drafts.read();
     if (!action) return success(draftsListText(list));
     if (action !== 'publish' && action !== 'discard') return failure(USAGE);
     const draft = draftNamed(list, selector);
diff --git a/lib/app/commands/status.js b/lib/app/commands/status.js
index 928f2a1..7a7ef86 100644
--- a/lib/app/commands/status.js
+++ b/lib/app/commands/status.js
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
 // Copyright (c) 2026 EvoMap
 
-import { withoutDraft } from '../../distill.js';
 import { engineNoticeOf } from '../../engine/notice.js';
 import { SIGN_IN, signInOf } from '../../hub-login.js';
 import { MIN_EVOLVER_VERSION } from '../../engine/version.js';
@@ -38,7 +37,7 @@ export default {
   description: 'Evolver health: the Proxy, engine setup, Hub sign-in, distillation candidate and drafts.',
   async run({ identity, proxy, engine, candidates, drafts, signIn, clock }, { sessionId, anySession }) {
     const answered = await proxy.request('GET', '/proxy/status', undefined, { timeoutMs: 3_000 });
-    const waiting = withoutDraft(await drafts.read(), null, clock.now()).length;
+    const waiting = (await drafts.read()).length;
     return success([
       answered.ok ? proxyStatusText(answered.data) : answered.error,
       engineLine(await engine.outcome(), identity.label),
diff --git a/lib/app/distill-session.js b/lib/app/distill-session.js
index 81e7617..a271e1b 100644
--- a/lib/app/distill-session.js
+++ b/lib/app/distill-session.js
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ async function post(ports, { sessionId, candidate }, args, usage, signal) {
   const body = distillBody({ platform: ports.identity.agent, sessionId: taskSessionId(ports.identity, sessionId), candidate, args, usage });
   const result = await ports.proxy.request('POST', '/conversation/distill', body, { timeoutMs: DISTILL_TIMEOUT_MS, signal });
   const outcome = distillOutcomeOf(result, { title: args.title, sessionId }, ports.clock.now());
-  if (outcome.draft) await ports.drafts.update((drafts) => withDraft(drafts, outcome.draft, ports.clock.now()));
+  if (outcome.draft) await ports.drafts.update((drafts) => withDraft(drafts, outcome.draft));
   return { ...outcome, ...(usage && { usage }) };
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/distill.js b/lib/distill.js
index 27a8ed1..eb61aac 100644
--- a/lib/distill.js
+++ b/lib/distill.js
@@ -3,8 +3,6 @@
 
 import { containsSecret, withoutSecrets } from './redact.js';
 
-export const DRAFTS_TTL_MS = 8 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
-const MAX_DRAFTS = 20;
 const MAX_TRACE_ROWS = 8;
 const MAX_ARTIFACTS = 12;
 const COMMAND_MAX_CHARS = 180;
@@ -136,23 +134,19 @@ export function draftOf(result, { title, sessionId }, now) {
   };
 }
 
-function prunedDrafts(drafts, now) {
-  return (Array.isArray(drafts) ? drafts : []).filter((draft) => now - Number(draft?.createdAt) <= DRAFTS_TTL_MS);
-}
-
 export function skipReasonOf(result) {
   if (result?.ok !== true) return String(result?.reason ?? 'skipped');
   if (result.quality?.ok !== true) return String(result.quality?.reason ?? 'quality_gate');
   return 'incomplete_draft';
 }
 
-export function withDraft(drafts, draft, now) {
-  const kept = prunedDrafts(drafts, now).filter((existing) => existing.id !== draft.id);
-  return [...kept, draft].slice(-MAX_DRAFTS);
+export function withDraft(drafts, draft) {
+  const kept = (Array.isArray(drafts) ? drafts : []).filter((existing) => existing.id !== draft.id);
+  return [...kept, draft];
 }
 
-export function withoutDraft(drafts, id, now) {
-  return prunedDrafts(drafts, now).filter((draft) => draft.id !== id);
+export function withoutDraft(drafts, id) {
+  return (Array.isArray(drafts) ? drafts : []).filter((draft) => draft.id !== id);
 }
 
 // `1` names the first listed draft; anything else is matched as an id prefix
diff --git a/test/app/draft-retention.test.js b/test/app/draft-retention.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0f8bfd1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/app/draft-retention.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import { test } from 'node:test';
+
+import { runCommand } from '../../lib/app/commands/index.js';
+import { withDraft } from '../../lib/distill.js';
+import { memoryPorts } from './memory-ports.js';
+
+test('adding and listing drafts preserves old, legacy and more than twenty unreviewed drafts', async () => {
+  const { ports } = memoryPorts();
+  const earlier = Array.from({ length: 25 }, (_, i) => ({ id: `old-${i}`, title: `Old method ${i}`, summary: '', assets: [], createdAt: 0 }));
+  earlier.push({ id: 'legacy', title: 'Legacy method', summary: '', assets: [] });
+  await ports.drafts.update(() => earlier);
+  await ports.clock.sleep(9 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000);
+  const added = { id: 'new', title: 'New method', summary: '', assets: [], createdAt: ports.clock.now() };
+  await ports.drafts.update((list) => withDraft(list, added));
+  const list = await runCommand(ports, { sessionId: 's1', name: 'evolver-drafts' });
+  assert.match(list.text, /27 distilled drafts waiting/);
+  assert.match(list.text, /1\. Old method 0/);
+  assert.deepEqual(await ports.drafts.read(), [...earlier, added]);
+  const discarded = await runCommand(ports, { sessionId: 's1', name: 'evolver-drafts', args: 'discard 1' });
+  assert.equal(discarded.ok, true);
+  assert.deepEqual(await ports.drafts.read(), [...earlier.slice(1), added]);
+});
diff --git a/test/distill.test.js b/test/distill.test.js
index e6c514d..7fa33e1 100644
--- a/test/distill.test.js
+++ b/test/distill.test.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
 import { test } from 'node:test';
 
 import {
-  DRAFTS_TTL_MS, distillPromptOf, distillRequestOf, draftNamed, draftOf, draftsListText, isDistillableTurn, lessonOf, skipReasonOf,
+  distillPromptOf, distillRequestOf, draftNamed, draftOf, draftsListText, isDistillableTurn, lessonOf, skipReasonOf,
   submitRequestOf, withDraft, withoutDraft,
 } from '../lib/distill.js';
 
@@ -87,15 +87,16 @@ test('a draft needs a passing quality gate and both assets', () => {
   assert.equal(skipReasonOf({ ok: true, quality: { ok: false, reason: 'insufficient_reusable_signal' } }), 'insufficient_reusable_signal');
 });
 
-test('drafts are deduplicated by id, capped, and expire', () => {
+test('drafts are deduplicated by id and retained until explicitly removed', () => {
   const draft = (id, createdAt = 0) => ({ id, title: id, summary: '', assets: [], createdAt });
-  const once = withDraft(withDraft([], draft('a'), 0), draft('a', 1), 1);
+  const once = withDraft(withDraft([], draft('a')), draft('a', 1));
   assert.deepEqual(once.map((d) => d.createdAt), [1]);
-  const many = Array.from({ length: 25 }, (_, i) => draft(`d${i}`)).reduce((list, d) => withDraft(list, d, 0), []);
-  assert.equal(many.length, 20);
-  assert.equal(many[0].id, 'd5');
-  assert.deepEqual(withDraft([draft('old')], draft('new', DRAFTS_TTL_MS + 1), DRAFTS_TTL_MS + 1).map((d) => d.id), ['new']);
-  assert.deepEqual(withoutDraft([draft('a'), draft('b')], 'a', 0).map((d) => d.id), ['b']);
+  const many = Array.from({ length: 25 }, (_, i) => draft(`d${i}`)).reduce((list, d) => withDraft(list, d), []);
+  assert.equal(many.length, 25);
+  assert.equal(many[0].id, 'd0');
+  const later = 9 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
+  assert.deepEqual(withDraft([draft('old')], draft('new', later)).map((d) => d.id), ['old', 'new']);
+  assert.deepEqual(withoutDraft([draft('a'), draft('b')], 'a').map((d) => d.id), ['b']);
 });
 
 test('a draft is named by its list number or a unique id prefix', () => {