diff --git a/0038/SESSION-0038.0-TRANSCRIPT-2026-05-29T01-24--INPROGRESS.md b/0038/SESSION-0038.0-TRANSCRIPT-2026-05-29T01-24--INPROGRESS.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..84719e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/0038/SESSION-0038.0-TRANSCRIPT-2026-05-29T01-24--INPROGRESS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+# Session 0038.0 — Transcript
+
+> Date: 2026-05-29
+> Start: 2026-05-29T01-24 (PST implied)
+> Status: **PLACEHOLDER — claimed at session start; finalized at session end.**
+>
+> This file reserves session ID 0038. The driver replaces this body
+> with the full transcript before publishing, and renames the file to
+> its final SESSION-0038.0-TRANSCRIPT-2026-05-29T01-24--<end>.md form.
+
+---
+
+## Launch prompt
+
+_(launch prompt not captured at claim time)_
diff --git a/sessions.json b/sessions.json
index 56e7059..0593542 100644
--- a/sessions.json
+++ b/sessions.json
@@ -97,5 +97,8 @@
   },
   "0037": {
     "title": ""
+  },
+  "0038": {
+    "title": ""
   }
 }