diff --git a/crates/ml/src/cuda_pipeline/gpu_dqn_trainer.rs b/crates/ml/src/cuda_pipeline/gpu_dqn_trainer.rs
index 99cf28c90..914038133 100644
--- a/crates/ml/src/cuda_pipeline/gpu_dqn_trainer.rs
+++ b/crates/ml/src/cuda_pipeline/gpu_dqn_trainer.rs
@@ -581,6 +581,7 @@ pub struct GpuDqnTrainer {
     total_params: usize,
     params_initialized: bool,
     target_params_initialized: bool,
+    attention_initialized: bool,
 
     // ── CUDA Graphs (split: forward+backward, then optimizer) ──────
     // Graph A: zero → cuBLAS forward → C51 loss → C51 grad → cuBLAS backward
@@ -1990,11 +1991,15 @@ impl GpuDqnTrainer {
         let sh2 = self.config.shared_h2;
         let n_bytes = batch_size * sh2 * f32_size;
 
-        // Stream ordering ensures graph replay completed before touching save_h_s2.
-
         // Disable event tracking for all buffer access in this method.
         // After CUDA Graph capture, cudarc's device_ptr() records write events
         // that fail with CUDA_ERROR_INVALID_VALUE on stale captured graph events.
+        // First call syncs to clear stale events; subsequent calls rely on stream ordering.
+        if !self.attention_initialized {
+            unsafe { cudarc::driver::sys::cuStreamSynchronize(self.stream.cu_stream()); }
+            let _ = self.stream.context().check_err();
+            self.attention_initialized = true;
+        }
         let _evt_guard = EventTrackingGuard::new(self.stream.context());
 
         // Run attention forward: save_h_s2 → attention output buffer
@@ -2647,6 +2652,7 @@ impl GpuDqnTrainer {
             total_params,
             params_initialized: false,
             target_params_initialized: false,
+            attention_initialized: false,
             graph_forward: None,
             graph_adam: None,
             upload_staging_buf,
@@ -5485,14 +5491,12 @@ impl GpuDqnTrainer {
         tau: f32,
     ) -> Result<(), MLError> {
         // Sync stream and clear any stale errors from graph capture phase.
-        let _eg = EventTrackingGuard::new(self.stream.context());
-        // cudarc stores errors from cuStreamWaitEvent on disabled events during
-        // graph capture. check_err() consumes them so bind_to_thread() succeeds.
-        let _ = self.stream.context().check_err();
-
-        // First call: flatten target weights into flat buffer (20 DtoD copies, once only).
-        // Subsequent calls reuse the flat buffer which is kept in sync by unflatten at end.
+        // First call only: clear stale cudarc events from graph capture phase.
+        // Subsequent calls skip the sync — stream ordering is sufficient.
         if !self.target_params_initialized {
+            let _eg = EventTrackingGuard::new(self.stream.context());
+            unsafe { cudarc::driver::sys::cuStreamSynchronize(self.stream.cu_stream()); }
+            let _ = self.stream.context().check_err();
             self.flatten_target_weights(target_d, target_b)?;
             self.target_params_initialized = true;
         }