diff --git a/MUNGA/SPOOLER.cpp b/MUNGA/SPOOLER.cpp
index 888cc58..f101a12 100644
--- a/MUNGA/SPOOLER.cpp
+++ b/MUNGA/SPOOLER.cpp
@@ -200,6 +200,23 @@ SpoolRecorder::SpoolRecorder():
 	headerWritten(False),
 	packetsRecorded(0)
 {
+	eggPath[0] = '\0';
+}
+
+//~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+//
+void
+	SpoolRecorder::SetEggPath(const char *path)
+{
+	Check(this);
+
+	if (path == NULL)
+	{
+		eggPath[0] = '\0';
+		return;
+	}
+	strncpy(eggPath, path, sizeof(eggPath) - 1);
+	eggPath[sizeof(eggPath) - 1] = '\0';
 }
 
 //~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@@ -364,6 +381,47 @@ void
 	spool->SaveAs(filename);
 	CopyFileA(filename, "last.spl", FALSE);
 
+	//
+	// The egg beside it, under the same stem.
+	//
+	// A spool is only half a recording: it says what moved, never the
+	// track it moved through, and playback will not start without the egg
+	// the race was run on. frontend.egg is rewritten by the next race set
+	// up on this machine, so a recording kept on its own quietly stops
+	// being playable as soon as somebody picks another track. Kept
+	// together they stay one artifact for as long as the folder does.
+	//
+	if (eggPath[0] != '\0')
+	{
+		char egg_copy[MAX_PATH];
+
+		strncpy(egg_copy, filename, sizeof(egg_copy) - 1);
+		egg_copy[sizeof(egg_copy) - 1] = '\0';
+
+		size_t length = strlen(egg_copy);
+		if (length > 4)
+		{
+			strcpy(egg_copy + length - 4, ".egg");
+			if (CopyFileA(eggPath, egg_copy, FALSE))
+			{
+				CopyFileA(eggPath, "last.egg", FALSE);
+				DEBUG_STREAM << "Record: kept the egg beside it as "
+					<< egg_copy << "\n" << std::flush;
+			}
+			else
+			{
+				DEBUG_STREAM << "Record: could NOT copy the egg '" << eggPath
+					<< "' - the spool will not replay without it\n" << std::flush;
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		DEBUG_STREAM << "Record: no egg path known, so none kept - this spool"
+			<< " will need the matching egg supplied by hand to replay\n"
+			<< std::flush;
+	}
+
 	DEBUG_STREAM << "Record: wrote " << filename << " - "
 		<< packetsRecorded << " packets, " << (written / 1024) << "KB"
 		<< (full ? " (truncated - buffer filled)" : "")
diff --git a/MUNGA/SPOOLER.h b/MUNGA/SPOOLER.h
index 6c3ade6..e418d64 100644
--- a/MUNGA/SPOOLER.h
+++ b/MUNGA/SPOOLER.h
@@ -83,7 +83,17 @@ public:
 	void
 		Record(const NetworkPacket *packet);
 
-	// Write SPOOLS\<timestamp>.spl and copy it to last.spl.
+	// Where the egg for this race lives, so it can be kept beside the
+	// recording. A spool records what MOVED and never the track it moved
+	// through, so the two are one artifact: without its egg a spool cannot
+	// be replayed, and frontend.egg is overwritten by the next race set up
+	// on this machine. Saving them together is what stops a recording
+	// going stale the moment somebody picks a different track.
+	void
+		SetEggPath(const char *path);
+
+	// Write SPOOLS\<timestamp>.spl, the matching .egg beside it, and copy
+	// the spool to last.spl.
 	void
 		Save();
 
@@ -119,6 +129,7 @@ protected:
 	Logical		full;
 	Logical		headerWritten;
 	int			packetsRecorded;
+	char		eggPath[260];
 };
 
 // The process-wide recorder, made on first use.
diff --git a/MUNGA_L4/L4SPLR.cpp b/MUNGA_L4/L4SPLR.cpp
index 54ecc9e..df356e5 100644
--- a/MUNGA_L4/L4SPLR.cpp
+++ b/MUNGA_L4/L4SPLR.cpp
@@ -215,11 +215,48 @@ L4PlaybackNetworkManager::L4PlaybackNetworkManager():
 	const char *egg_name =
 		((L4Application *) application)->GetEggNotationFileName();
 
+	//
+	// Fall back to the egg saved with the recording.
+	//
+	// Every spool is written with its egg beside it under the same stem,
+	// and last.egg alongside last.spl, precisely so that a recording is one
+	// self-contained thing. Having to name the egg by hand invites naming
+	// the WRONG one - frontend.egg is rewritten by the next race set up on
+	// the machine, and a spool played against a different track would load
+	// happily and show nonsense.
+	//
+	static char found_egg[MAX_PATH];
+
 	if (egg_name == NULL || strlen(egg_name) == 0)
 	{
-		DEBUG_STREAM << "Playback: no egg given. A spool records the race but"
-			<< " not the track it was run on, so -egg must name the one it"
-			<< " was recorded with.\n" << std::flush;
+		CString spool_name = ((L4Application *) application)->GetSpoolFileName();
+		const char *spool_text =
+			(!spool_name) ? "last.spl" : (const char *) spool_name;
+
+		strncpy(found_egg, spool_text, sizeof(found_egg) - 1);
+		found_egg[sizeof(found_egg) - 1] = '\0';
+
+		size_t length = strlen(found_egg);
+		if (length > 4)
+		{
+			strcpy(found_egg + length - 4, ".egg");
+
+			FILE *probe = fopen(found_egg, "r");
+			if (probe != NULL)
+			{
+				fclose(probe);
+				egg_name = found_egg;
+				DEBUG_STREAM << "Playback: using the egg saved with the"
+					<< " recording, '" << found_egg << "'\n" << std::flush;
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	if (egg_name == NULL || strlen(egg_name) == 0)
+	{
+		DEBUG_STREAM << "Playback: no egg. A spool records the race but not the"
+			<< " track it was run on, and no egg was found beside the spool -"
+			<< " name one with -egg.\n" << std::flush;
 		return;
 	}
 
diff --git a/RP_L4/RPL4CONSOLE.cpp b/RP_L4/RPL4CONSOLE.cpp
index 0deaf43..fe2b81f 100644
--- a/RP_L4/RPL4CONSOLE.cpp
+++ b/RP_L4/RPL4CONSOLE.cpp
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 #include "..\munga\appmgr.h"
 #include "..\munga\appmsg.h"
 #include "..\munga\console.h"
+#include "..\munga\spooler.h"
 #include "..\rp\rpcnsl.h"
 #include "..\munga_l4\l4app.h"
 #include "..\munga_l4\l4net.h"
@@ -669,6 +670,13 @@ Logical
 	strncpy(gEggPath, egg_path, sizeof(gEggPath) - 1);
 	gEggPath[sizeof(gEggPath) - 1] = '\0';
 
+	//
+	// The recording needs this too. A spool says what moved; the egg says
+	// what it moved through, and the console is where the egg's name is
+	// actually known.
+	//
+	SpoolRecorder_Get()->SetEggPath(gEggPath);
+
 	//
 	// The wire image of the egg: file newlines become NULs, exactly
 	// what the arcade console sent (RPMission.ToEggFileMessages)