diff --git a/mempalace/hooks_cli.py b/mempalace/hooks_cli.py
index ca8fb60..8498103 100644
--- a/mempalace/hooks_cli.py
+++ b/mempalace/hooks_cli.py
@@ -26,8 +26,13 @@ def _palace_root_exists() -> bool:
     All hook side effects (logging, state dir creation, mining, ingestion)
     must respect this and short-circuit BEFORE touching disk — including
     before logging the short-circuit itself.
+
+    Uses ``is_dir()`` rather than ``exists()`` so a stray regular file at
+    ``~/.mempalace`` (or a broken symlink) is treated as absent — otherwise
+    the kill-switch would be bypassed and ``STATE_DIR.mkdir()`` would later
+    crash on ``NotADirectoryError``.
     """
-    return PALACE_ROOT.exists()
+    return PALACE_ROOT.is_dir()
 
 
 def _mempalace_python() -> str:
@@ -154,7 +159,7 @@ _state_dir_initialized = False
 
 def _log(message: str):
     """Append to hook state log file."""
-    if not PALACE_ROOT.exists():
+    if not _palace_root_exists():
         return  # User removed the palace; do not recreate by logging
     global _state_dir_initialized
     try:
diff --git a/tests/test_hooks_cli.py b/tests/test_hooks_cli.py
index 941288d..487acf7 100644
--- a/tests/test_hooks_cli.py
+++ b/tests/test_hooks_cli.py
@@ -1035,3 +1035,35 @@ def test_existing_dir_proceeds_normally(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     # _log should have created the state dir under the existing palace root
     assert (fake_root / "hook_state").exists()
     assert (fake_root / "hook_state" / "hook.log").is_file()
+
+
+def test_regular_file_at_palace_root_treated_as_absent(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """A regular file at ~/.mempalace must be treated the same as absent.
+
+    ``Path.exists()`` returns True for a regular file, which would let the
+    kill-switch be bypassed and crash later when ``STATE_DIR.mkdir()`` runs
+    on ``NotADirectoryError``. ``_palace_root_exists()`` must use
+    ``is_dir()`` so a stray file (or broken symlink) short-circuits cleanly.
+    """
+    fake_root = tmp_path / "file-not-dir"
+    fake_root.write_text("oops, this is a file not a directory")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(hooks_cli_mod, "PALACE_ROOT", fake_root)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(hooks_cli_mod, "STATE_DIR", fake_root / "hook_state")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(hooks_cli_mod, "_state_dir_initialized", False)
+
+    # _palace_root_exists() is the source of truth — it must return False.
+    assert hooks_cli_mod._palace_root_exists() is False
+
+    # Hooks must short-circuit (return {} on stdout) and not touch disk.
+    buf = io.StringIO()
+    with contextlib.redirect_stdout(buf):
+        hook_session_start({"session_id": "file-at-root"}, "claude-code")
+    assert json.loads(buf.getvalue() or "{}") == {}
+
+    # _log must also short-circuit — it must NOT try to mkdir a path under a
+    # regular file (which would raise NotADirectoryError).
+    _log("test message")  # would raise if not short-circuited
+
+    # The stray file is left untouched; we never try to convert it.
+    assert fake_root.is_file()
+    assert fake_root.read_text() == "oops, this is a file not a directory"