diff --git a/mempalace/convo_miner.py b/mempalace/convo_miner.py
index a91cf33..2cf57e4 100644
--- a/mempalace/convo_miner.py
+++ b/mempalace/convo_miner.py
@@ -394,7 +394,9 @@ def mine_convos(
 
     convo_path = Path(convo_dir).expanduser().resolve()
     if not wing:
-        wing = convo_path.name.lower().replace(" ", "_").replace("-", "_")
+        from .config import normalize_wing_name
+
+        wing = normalize_wing_name(convo_path.name)
 
     files = scan_convos(convo_dir)
     if limit > 0:
diff --git a/mempalace/miner.py b/mempalace/miner.py
index 2d610ea..ba0c630 100644
--- a/mempalace/miner.py
+++ b/mempalace/miner.py
@@ -286,7 +286,15 @@ def load_config(project_dir: str) -> dict:
         if legacy_path.exists():
             config_path = legacy_path
         else:
-            wing_name = resolved_project_dir.name
+            from .config import normalize_wing_name
+
+            # Normalize the dirname-derived fallback wing the same way
+            # ``cmd_init`` and ``room_detector_local`` do — otherwise a
+            # hyphenated project mined without a yaml file lands under a
+            # raw-name wing while ``topics_by_wing`` was keyed under the
+            # normalized slug, silently dropping every topic tunnel
+            # (the no-yaml branch of issue #1194).
+            wing_name = normalize_wing_name(resolved_project_dir.name)
             print(
                 f"  No mempalace.yaml found in {resolved_project_dir} "
                 f"— using auto-detected defaults (wing='{wing_name}'). "
diff --git a/tests/test_miner.py b/tests/test_miner.py
index 0619dbb..10124ee 100644
--- a/tests/test_miner.py
+++ b/tests/test_miner.py
@@ -67,6 +67,24 @@ def test_load_config_uses_defaults_when_yaml_missing():
         shutil.rmtree(tmpdir)
 
 
+def test_load_config_no_yaml_normalizes_hyphenated_wing():
+    """Fallback wing name is normalized so it matches topics_by_wing keys.
+
+    Regression for the no-yaml branch of #1194: ``cmd_init`` writes
+    ``topics_by_wing`` under the normalized slug, so the miner's
+    fallback wing must use the same normalization or the tunnel lookup
+    misses every key for hyphenated dirnames.
+    """
+    parent = tempfile.mkdtemp()
+    try:
+        project_root = Path(parent) / "my-cool-app"
+        project_root.mkdir()
+        config = load_config(str(project_root))
+        assert config["wing"] == "my_cool_app"
+    finally:
+        shutil.rmtree(parent)
+
+
 def test_scan_project_skips_mempalace_generated_files():
     with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmpdir:
         project_root = Path(tmpdir).resolve()