diff --git a/docs/rfc/0003-transients.md b/docs/rfc/0003-transients.md
index a2a62c1..8c451db 100644
--- a/docs/rfc/0003-transients.md
+++ b/docs/rfc/0003-transients.md
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ are identical (O(n) total either way) with a better constant in the loop and a
 worse constant at the two edges. The pattern transients exist for — batch
 construction — is fully served. What is NOT served is transient-editing a
 *large* collection to change a few keys: that's O(n) in Jolt vs O(log n) in
-Clojure, because `transient` flattens the pvec trie / phm buckets into a
+Clojure, because `transient` flattens the pvec trie / phm HAMT into a
 native array/table and `persistent!` rebuilds them.
 
 **No thread-ownership check.** JVM Clojure ≥1.7 also dropped the owner-thread
@@ -110,7 +110,9 @@ tiers as ordinary migration batches.
 - pvec is already a 32-way trie with structural sharing (pv.janet), so
   Clojure-style O(1) `transient`/`persistent!` via editable nodes is a real
   option for vectors — an internal change behind the same surface, not a
-  semantics change. phm is bucket-based copy-on-write; the same trick applies
-  if it ever becomes a HAMT.
+  semantics change. phm is now a HAMT with structural sharing too (jolt-684u),
+  and sorted maps/sets are a red-black tree (jolt-0hbr), so the same editable-
+  node trick is open for those as well — the transient surface here is still the
+  copy-to-native-table flatten.
 - `transient?` (Jolt extension, useful in tests) stays; Clojure has no public
   predicate, so it must not leak into portability-sensitive code.
diff --git a/src/jolt/main.janet b/src/jolt/main.janet
index 6e93e63..83d0fca 100644
--- a/src/jolt/main.janet
+++ b/src/jolt/main.janet
@@ -477,7 +477,6 @@
 
 (defn- run-main [ns-name argv]
   (when (nil? ns-name) (eprint "Error: -m/--main requires a namespace") (os/exit 1))
-  (set-command-line-args argv)
   (try
     (do
       (def path (deps-image-path ns-name))
@@ -495,6 +494,10 @@
             (when-let [ip (get (ctx :env) :infer-program!)] (protect (ip ctx)))
             (put (ctx :env) :infer-program-done? true))
           (save-deps-image ctx path)))
+      # Bind *command-line-args* on the FINAL ctx, AFTER any cache swap: a cache
+      # hit replaces ctx with the saved image, which carries the args baked when
+      # it was saved — the current run's argv must win (jolt-4mui).
+      (set-command-line-args argv)
       (load-string ctx (string "(apply " ns-name "/-main *command-line-args*)")))
     ([err fib] (report-error err fib) (os/exit 1))))
 
diff --git a/test/integration/deps-cache-args-test.janet b/test/integration/deps-cache-args-test.janet
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..502fdf1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/deps-cache-args-test.janet
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+# The deps-image cache must not drop -main's command-line args under
+# whole-program (jolt-4mui). A cache HIT swaps the running ctx for the saved
+# image; *command-line-args* must be (re)bound from the CURRENT invocation's
+# argv, not the stale value baked into the image. Drives the built binary:
+# first run builds the cache (arg "first"), second run (cache hit) passes "second"
+# — both must echo their own arg. Skips if build/jolt is absent.
+(def repo (os/cwd))
+(def jolt (string repo "/build/jolt"))
+(if-not (os/stat jolt)
+  (do (print "deps-cache-args: SKIP (no build/jolt)") (os/exit 0)))
+
+(def dir (string (or (os/getenv "TMPDIR") "/tmp") "/jolt-dca-" (os/time)))
+(os/mkdir dir)
+(spit (string dir "/echoargs.clj")
+      "(ns echoargs)\n(defn -main [& args] (println \"GOT\" (pr-str (vec args))))\n")
+# fresh per-run image cache dir so the first run is a guaranteed miss
+(def imgdir (string dir "/imgcache")) (os/mkdir imgdir)
+
+(each [k v] [["JOLT_DIRECT_LINK" "1"] ["JOLT_WHOLE_PROGRAM" "1"]
+             ["JOLT_PATH" dir] ["JOLT_APP_PATHS" dir] ["JOLT_IMAGE_CACHE_DIR" imgdir]]
+  (os/setenv k v))
+(defn- run [arg]
+  (def p (os/spawn [jolt "-m" "echoargs" arg] :p {:out :pipe :err :pipe}))
+  (def out (:read (p :out) :all))
+  (os/proc-wait p)
+  (string (or out "")))
+
+(var fails 0)
+(defn check [label got want]
+  (if (string/find want got) (print "  ok   " label)
+    (do (++ fails) (printf "  FAIL %s: want %p in %p" label want got))))
+
+(def r1 (run "first"))   # cache MISS — builds + saves the image
+(check "first run passes its arg" r1 `GOT ["first"]`)
+(def r2 (run "second"))  # cache HIT — must use the NEW arg, not the baked one
+(check "second run (cache hit) passes its arg, not the baked one" r2 `GOT ["second"]`)
+
+(defn rmrf [p] (when (os/stat p) (if (= :directory (os/stat p :mode)) (do (each e (os/dir p) (rmrf (string p "/" e))) (os/rmdir p)) (os/rm p))))
+(rmrf dir)
+(if (> fails 0) (do (printf "deps-cache-args: %d FAILED" fails) (os/exit 1))
+  (print "deps-cache-args (jolt-4mui) passed!"))