diff --git a/internal/doctor/orphan_check.go b/internal/doctor/orphan_check.go
index 570142fb..95c86c56 100644
--- a/internal/doctor/orphan_check.go
+++ b/internal/doctor/orphan_check.go
@@ -94,8 +94,8 @@ func (c *OrphanSessionCheck) Run(ctx *CheckContext) *CheckResult {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		// Only check gt-* sessions (Gas Town sessions)
-		if !strings.HasPrefix(sess, "gt-") {
+		// Only check gt-* and hq-* sessions (Gas Town sessions)
+		if !strings.HasPrefix(sess, "gt-") && !strings.HasPrefix(sess, "hq-") {
 			continue
 		}
 
@@ -200,8 +200,8 @@ func (c *OrphanSessionCheck) getValidRigs(townRoot string) []string {
 
 // isValidSession checks if a session name matches expected Gas Town patterns.
 // Valid patterns:
-//   - gt-{town}-mayor (dynamic based on town name)
-//   - gt-{town}-deacon (dynamic based on town name)
+//   - hq-mayor (headquarters mayor session)
+//   - hq-deacon (headquarters deacon session)
 //   - gt-<rig>-witness
 //   - gt-<rig>-refinery
 //   - gt-<rig>-<polecat> (where polecat is any name)
@@ -354,8 +354,9 @@ func (c *OrphanProcessCheck) getTmuxSessionPIDs() (map[int]bool, error) { //noli
 
 	// Find tmux server processes using ps instead of pgrep.
 	// pgrep -x tmux is unreliable on macOS - it often misses the actual server.
-	// We use ps with awk to find processes where comm is exactly "tmux".
-	out, err := exec.Command("sh", "-c", `ps ax -o pid,comm | awk '$2 == "tmux" || $2 ~ /\/tmux$/ { print $1 }'`).Output()
+	// We use ps with awk to find processes where comm is exactly "tmux" or starts with "tmux:".
+	// On Linux, tmux servers show as "tmux: server" in the comm field.
+	out, err := exec.Command("sh", "-c", `ps ax -o pid,comm | awk '$2 == "tmux" || $2 ~ /\/tmux$/ || $2 ~ /^tmux:/ { print $1 }'`).Output()
 	if err != nil {
 		// No tmux server running
 		return pids, nil
diff --git a/internal/doctor/orphan_check_test.go b/internal/doctor/orphan_check_test.go
index 658933f7..f3820604 100644
--- a/internal/doctor/orphan_check_test.go
+++ b/internal/doctor/orphan_check_test.go
@@ -358,6 +358,37 @@ func TestIsCrewSession_ComprehensivePatterns(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestOrphanSessionCheck_HQSessions tests that hq-* sessions are properly recognized as valid.
+func TestOrphanSessionCheck_HQSessions(t *testing.T) {
+	townRoot := t.TempDir()
+	mayorDir := filepath.Join(townRoot, "mayor")
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(mayorDir, 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("create mayor dir: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(mayorDir, "rigs.json"), []byte("{}"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("create rigs.json: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	lister := &mockSessionLister{
+		sessions: []string{
+			"hq-mayor",   // valid: headquarters mayor session
+			"hq-deacon",  // valid: headquarters deacon session
+		},
+	}
+	check := NewOrphanSessionCheckWithSessionLister(lister)
+	result := check.Run(&CheckContext{TownRoot: townRoot})
+
+	if result.Status != StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("expected StatusOK for valid hq sessions, got %v: %s", result.Status, result.Message)
+	}
+	if result.Message != "All 2 Gas Town sessions are valid" {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected message: %q", result.Message)
+	}
+	if len(check.orphanSessions) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected no orphan sessions, got %v", check.orphanSessions)
+	}
+}
+
 // TestOrphanSessionCheck_Run_Deterministic tests the full Run path with a mock session
 // lister, ensuring deterministic behavior without depending on real tmux state.
 func TestOrphanSessionCheck_Run_Deterministic(t *testing.T) {
@@ -383,9 +414,11 @@ func TestOrphanSessionCheck_Run_Deterministic(t *testing.T) {
 			"gt-gastown-witness",      // valid: gastown rig exists
 			"gt-gastown-polecat1",     // valid: gastown rig exists
 			"gt-beads-refinery",       // valid: beads rig exists
+			"hq-mayor",                // valid: hq-mayor is recognized
+			"hq-deacon",               // valid: hq-deacon is recognized
 			"gt-unknown-witness",      // orphan: unknown rig doesn't exist
 			"gt-missing-crew-joe",     // orphan: missing rig doesn't exist
-			"random-session",          // ignored: doesn't match gt-* pattern
+			"random-session",          // ignored: doesn't match gt-*/hq-* pattern
 		},
 	}
 	check := NewOrphanSessionCheckWithSessionLister(lister)