diff --git a/src/ria_toolkit_oss/sdr/usrp.py b/src/ria_toolkit_oss/sdr/usrp.py
index abf4e3d..3ae7569 100644
--- a/src/ria_toolkit_oss/sdr/usrp.py
+++ b/src/ria_toolkit_oss/sdr/usrp.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import numpy as np
 import uhd
 
 from ria_toolkit_oss.data.recording import Recording
-from ria_toolkit_oss.sdr.sdr import SDR, SDRParameterError
+from ria_toolkit_oss.sdr.sdr import SDR, SdrDisconnectedError, SDRError, SDRParameterError
 
 
 class USRP(SDR):
@@ -32,6 +32,13 @@ class USRP(SDR):
 
         self._rx_initialized = False
         self._tx_initialized = False
+        # True once a continuous RX stream has been started (see rx()). Kept
+        # running across rx() calls so the agent streamer gets gapless capture
+        # instead of a start/stop per buffer.
+        self._rx_streaming = False
+        # Samples received past the end of one rx() request, carried into the
+        # next call so nothing is dropped between buffers.
+        self._rx_residual = np.empty(0, dtype=np.complex64)
 
     def init_rx(
         self,
@@ -96,6 +103,8 @@ class USRP(SDR):
         # flag to prevent user from calling certain functions before this one.
         self._rx_initialized = True
         self._tx_initialized = False
+        self._rx_streaming = False  # (re)started lazily on the first rx() call
+        self._rx_residual = np.empty(0, dtype=np.complex64)
 
         return {"sample_rate": self.rx_sample_rate, "center_frequency": self.rx_center_frequency, "gain": self.rx_gain}
 
@@ -265,6 +274,97 @@ class USRP(SDR):
 
         return Recording(data=store_array[:, :num_samples], metadata=metadata)
 
+    def rx(self, num_samples: int) -> "np.ndarray":
+        """Return *num_samples* complex64 IQ samples from a continuous RX stream.
+
+        This is the interface the agent streamer's capture loop calls every
+        buffer. Unlike ``record()`` (a one-shot that issues ``start_cont`` /
+        ``stop_cont`` and sleeps each call), this keeps a single continuous
+        stream running across calls, so capture is gapless — no per-buffer
+        start/stop churn, transients, or zero-filled gaps that show up as black
+        bands in the spectrogram.
+
+        On the first call it auto-initializes RX (from ``sample_rate`` /
+        ``center_freq`` / ``gain`` set by the caller) and issues ``start_cont``
+        once. ``close()`` (or ``stop()``) stops the stream.
+        """
+        if not self._rx_initialized:
+            gain = self.gain if isinstance(self.gain, (int, float)) else 40.0
+            self.init_rx(
+                sample_rate=self.sample_rate,
+                center_frequency=self.center_freq,
+                gain=gain,
+                channel=0,
+            )
+
+        if not self._rx_streaming:
+            stream_command = uhd.types.StreamCMD(uhd.types.StreamMode.start_cont)
+            stream_command.stream_now = True
+            self.rx_stream.issue_stream_cmd(stream_command)
+            self._enable_rx = True
+            self._rx_streaming = True
+            print("USRP Starting RX (continuous)...")
+
+        out = np.empty(num_samples, dtype=np.complex64)
+        filled = 0
+
+        # Drain any samples carried over from the previous call first.
+        if self._rx_residual.size:
+            take = min(self._rx_residual.size, num_samples)
+            out[:take] = self._rx_residual[:take]
+            self._rx_residual = self._rx_residual[take:]
+            filled = take
+
+        recv_buffer = np.zeros((1, self.rx_buffer_size), dtype=np.complex64)
+        consecutive_timeouts = 0
+        error_codes = uhd.types.RXMetadataErrorCode
+
+        while filled < num_samples:
+            n = self.rx_stream.recv(recv_buffer, self.metadata, self.timeout)
+            err = self.metadata.error_code
+
+            if err == error_codes.timeout:
+                consecutive_timeouts += 1
+                # A stalled stream is a disconnect, not a transient hiccup.
+                if consecutive_timeouts >= 5:
+                    self._rx_streaming = False
+                    raise SdrDisconnectedError("USRP RX timed out repeatedly — device may be disconnected")
+                continue
+            consecutive_timeouts = 0
+
+            # Overflow ("O") means the host fell behind and UHD dropped samples
+            # upstream; the samples we did get are still valid, so keep going.
+            if err not in (error_codes.none, error_codes.overflow):
+                self._rx_streaming = False
+                raise SDRError(f"USRP RX error: {err}")
+
+            if n <= 0:
+                continue
+            take = min(n, num_samples - filled)
+            out[filled : filled + take] = recv_buffer[0, :take]
+            filled += take
+            # Keep anything received past this request for the next call so the
+            # stream stays gapless across rx() boundaries.
+            if take < n:
+                self._rx_residual = recv_buffer[0, take:n].copy()
+
+        return out
+
+    def _stop_rx_stream(self) -> None:
+        """Issue stop_cont for the continuous RX stream, if running."""
+        if not self._rx_streaming:
+            return
+        self._enable_rx = False
+        try:
+            stop_cmd = uhd.types.StreamCMD(uhd.types.StreamMode.stop_cont)
+            stop_cmd.stream_now = True
+            self.rx_stream.issue_stream_cmd(stop_cmd)
+        except Exception:
+            pass
+        self._rx_streaming = False
+        self._rx_residual = np.empty(0, dtype=np.complex64)
+        print("USRP RX stopped.")
+
     def init_tx(
         self,
         sample_rate: int | float,
@@ -371,6 +471,7 @@ class USRP(SDR):
         print(f"USRP TX Gain = {self.tx_gain}")
 
     def close(self):
+        self._stop_rx_stream()
         self._tx_initialized = False
         self._rx_initialized = False
         if hasattr(self, "rx_stream"):
diff --git a/tests/agent/test_usrp_rx.py b/tests/agent/test_usrp_rx.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aad9672
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/agent/test_usrp_rx.py
@@ -0,0 +1,142 @@
+"""Hardware-free tests for the USRP continuous-streaming rx().
+
+`uhd` isn't importable without the UHD install, so we stub the bits USRP.rx()
+touches and drive it with a scripted fake rx_stream. The point is to prove the
+capture is gapless across rx() calls — the property that fixes the choppy /
+black-banded spectrogram caused by the old start/stop-per-buffer record().
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import sys
+import types
+
+import numpy as np
+import pytest
+
+
+def _install_fake_uhd():
+    uhd = types.ModuleType("uhd")
+
+    class StreamCMD:
+        def __init__(self, mode):
+            self.mode = mode
+            self.stream_now = False
+            self.time_spec = None
+
+    uhd.types = types.SimpleNamespace(
+        StreamCMD=StreamCMD,
+        StreamMode=types.SimpleNamespace(start_cont="start_cont", stop_cont="stop_cont"),
+        RXMetadataErrorCode=types.SimpleNamespace(none="none", overflow="overflow", timeout="timeout"),
+    )
+    uhd.usrp = types.SimpleNamespace()
+    sys.modules["uhd"] = uhd
+    return uhd
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def USRP():
+    # Snapshot so the fake uhd / freshly-imported usrp don't leak into other
+    # tests (e.g. detect_available() would otherwise think usrp is importable).
+    saved_uhd = sys.modules.get("uhd")
+    saved_usrp = sys.modules.get("ria_toolkit_oss.sdr.usrp")
+
+    _install_fake_uhd()
+    sys.modules.pop("ria_toolkit_oss.sdr.usrp", None)
+    from ria_toolkit_oss.sdr.usrp import USRP as _USRP
+
+    yield _USRP
+
+    for name, mod in (("uhd", saved_uhd), ("ria_toolkit_oss.sdr.usrp", saved_usrp)):
+        if mod is None:
+            sys.modules.pop(name, None)
+        else:
+            sys.modules[name] = mod
+
+
+class _FakeStream:
+    """Delivers a contiguous ramp of samples; ``real`` part is the sample index.
+
+    ``script`` is a list of (count, error_code) the recv loop walks through.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, script, metadata):
+        self._script = list(script)
+        self._metadata = metadata
+        self._counter = 0
+        self.issued = []
+
+    def issue_stream_cmd(self, cmd):
+        self.issued.append(cmd.mode)
+
+    def recv(self, buffer, metadata, timeout):
+        count, err = self._script.pop(0)
+        metadata.error_code = err
+        if count > 0:
+            idx = np.arange(self._counter, self._counter + count, dtype=np.float32)
+            buffer[0, :count] = idx.astype(np.complex64)
+            self._counter += count
+        return count
+
+
+def _make_usrp(USRP, script, rx_buffer_size=4):
+    u = USRP.__new__(USRP)
+    u._rx_initialized = True
+    u._rx_streaming = False
+    u._rx_residual = np.empty(0, dtype=np.complex64)
+    u.rx_buffer_size = rx_buffer_size
+    u.timeout = 0.1
+    u._enable_rx = False
+    u.metadata = types.SimpleNamespace(error_code="none")
+    u.rx_stream = _FakeStream(script, u.metadata)
+    return u
+
+
+def test_rx_is_gapless_across_calls(USRP):
+    # rx_buffer_size=4; each recv yields 4 fresh samples. Two rx(6) calls must
+    # return a contiguous 0..11 ramp — the over-read remainder is carried over.
+    script = [(4, "none")] * 4
+    u = _make_usrp(USRP, script)
+
+    first = u.rx(6)
+    second = u.rx(6)
+
+    assert first.dtype == np.complex64 and len(first) == 6
+    combined = np.concatenate([first, second]).real
+    assert np.array_equal(combined, np.arange(12, dtype=np.float32))  # no drops, no zeros
+    assert "start_cont" in u.rx_stream.issued  # stream started exactly via start_cont
+    assert u.rx_stream.issued.count("start_cont") == 1  # ...and only once
+
+
+def test_rx_starts_stream_only_once(USRP):
+    u = _make_usrp(USRP, [(4, "none")] * 6)
+    u.rx(4)
+    u.rx(4)
+    assert u.rx_stream.issued.count("start_cont") == 1
+
+
+def test_rx_keeps_going_on_overflow(USRP):
+    # Overflow samples are still valid — they must be used, not dropped.
+    script = [(2, "none"), (2, "overflow"), (2, "none")]
+    u = _make_usrp(USRP, script)
+    out = u.rx(6).real
+    assert np.array_equal(out, np.arange(6, dtype=np.float32))
+
+
+def test_rx_raises_on_persistent_timeout(USRP):
+    from ria_toolkit_oss.sdr.sdr import SdrDisconnectedError
+
+    u = _make_usrp(USRP, [(0, "timeout")] * 10)
+    with pytest.raises(SdrDisconnectedError):
+        u.rx(4)
+
+
+def test_stop_rx_stream_resets_state(USRP):
+    u = _make_usrp(USRP, [(4, "none")] * 4)
+    u.rx(6)  # leaves a 2-sample residual, stream running
+    assert u._rx_streaming is True
+    assert u._rx_residual.size == 2
+    u._stop_rx_stream()
+    assert u._rx_streaming is False
+    assert u._rx_residual.size == 0
+    assert "stop_cont" in u.rx_stream.issued