diff --git a/server/src/__tests__/agent-instructions-service.test.ts b/server/src/__tests__/agent-instructions-service.test.ts
index 61c58716ed7..cf0d64c1dd6 100644
--- a/server/src/__tests__/agent-instructions-service.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/__tests__/agent-instructions-service.test.ts
@@ -611,7 +611,7 @@ describe("agent instructions service", () => {
     await fs.mkdir(lockPath, { recursive: true });
     await fs.writeFile(
       path.join(lockPath, "owner.json"),
-      `${JSON.stringify({ pid: process.pid, token: "live", createdAt: "1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z" })}\n`,
+      `${JSON.stringify({ pid: process.pid, token: "live", createdAt: new Date().toISOString() })}\n`,
       "utf8",
     );
 
@@ -670,6 +670,87 @@ describe("agent instructions service", () => {
     await expect(fs.stat(lockPath)).rejects.toThrow();
   });
 
+  it("recovers a probe-less legacy lock after its PID is reused", async () => {
+    const paperclipHome = await makeTempDir("paperclip-agent-instructions-legacy-stale-lock-");
+    cleanupDirs.add(paperclipHome);
+    process.env.PAPERCLIP_HOME = paperclipHome;
+    process.env.PAPERCLIP_INSTANCE_ID = "test-instance";
+    const svc = agentInstructionsService();
+    const agent = makeAgent({});
+    const managedRoot = path.join(
+      paperclipHome,
+      "instances",
+      "test-instance",
+      "companies",
+      "company-1",
+      "agents",
+      "agent-1",
+      "instructions",
+    );
+    const lockPath = `${managedRoot}.paperclip-materialize.lock`;
+    const token = randomUUID();
+    await fs.mkdir(lockPath, { recursive: true });
+    await fs.writeFile(
+      path.join(lockPath, "owner.json"),
+      `${JSON.stringify({ pid: process.pid, token, createdAt: "1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z" })}\n`,
+      "utf8",
+    );
+    const heartbeatPath = path.join(lockPath, `heartbeat-${token}`);
+    await fs.writeFile(heartbeatPath, "", "utf8");
+    const staleHeartbeat = new Date(Date.now() - 60_000);
+    await fs.utimes(heartbeatPath, staleHeartbeat, staleHeartbeat);
+
+    const result = await svc.materializeManagedBundle(agent, { "AGENTS.md": "# Stock\n" });
+
+    expect(result.materialization.action).toBe("added");
+    await expect(fs.stat(lockPath)).rejects.toThrow();
+  });
+
+  it("preserves a probe-less legacy lock when its live owner heartbeat is stale", async () => {
+    const paperclipHome = await makeTempDir("paperclip-agent-instructions-legacy-live-lock-");
+    cleanupDirs.add(paperclipHome);
+    process.env.PAPERCLIP_HOME = paperclipHome;
+    process.env.PAPERCLIP_INSTANCE_ID = "test-instance";
+    const svc = agentInstructionsService();
+    const agent = makeAgent({});
+    const managedRoot = path.join(
+      paperclipHome,
+      "instances",
+      "test-instance",
+      "companies",
+      "company-1",
+      "agents",
+      "agent-1",
+      "instructions",
+    );
+    const lockPath = `${managedRoot}.paperclip-materialize.lock`;
+    const token = randomUUID();
+    await fs.mkdir(lockPath, { recursive: true });
+    await fs.writeFile(
+      path.join(lockPath, "owner.json"),
+      `${JSON.stringify({ pid: process.pid, token, createdAt: new Date().toISOString() })}\n`,
+      "utf8",
+    );
+    const heartbeatPath = path.join(lockPath, `heartbeat-${token}`);
+    await fs.writeFile(heartbeatPath, "", "utf8");
+    const staleHeartbeat = new Date(Date.now() - 60_000);
+    await fs.utimes(heartbeatPath, staleHeartbeat, staleHeartbeat);
+
+    const materialization = svc.materializeManagedBundle(agent, { "AGENTS.md": "# Stock\n" });
+    const firstOutcome = await Promise.race([
+      materialization.then(() => "materialized"),
+      new Promise<"waiting">((resolve) => setTimeout(() => resolve("waiting"), 75)),
+    ]);
+
+    expect(firstOutcome).toBe("waiting");
+    const releasedLockPath = `${lockPath}.released`;
+    await fs.rename(lockPath, releasedLockPath);
+    await fs.rm(releasedLockPath, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    await expect(materialization).resolves.toMatchObject({
+      materialization: { action: "added" },
+    });
+  });
+
   it.skipIf(process.platform !== "linux")(
     "does not evict a live lock with a stale heartbeat when its identity scheme is unavailable",
     async () => {
diff --git a/server/src/services/agent-instructions.ts b/server/src/services/agent-instructions.ts
index a41b09aafb3..20290c3c81e 100644
--- a/server/src/services/agent-instructions.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/agent-instructions.ts
@@ -357,6 +357,20 @@ function processStartMarkersComparable(left: string, right: string): boolean {
     && left.slice(0, leftSeparator) === right.slice(0, rightSeparator);
 }
 
+function processStartMarkerTimestamp(marker: string | null): number | null {
+  if (!marker?.startsWith("ps:")) return null;
+  const timestamp = Date.parse(marker.slice("ps:".length));
+  return Number.isFinite(timestamp) ? timestamp : null;
+}
+
+async function processStartedAfterLockCreation(pid: number, createdAt: unknown): Promise<boolean> {
+  if (typeof createdAt !== "string") return false;
+  const lockCreatedAt = Date.parse(createdAt);
+  if (!Number.isFinite(lockCreatedAt)) return false;
+  const processStartedAt = processStartMarkerTimestamp(await processStartMarker(pid, "ps"));
+  return processStartedAt !== null && processStartedAt > lockCreatedAt;
+}
+
 async function removeStaleManagedBundleLock(lockPath: string): Promise<boolean> {
   let shouldRemove = false;
   let ownerSnapshot: string | null = null;
@@ -368,6 +382,7 @@ async function removeStaleManagedBundleLock(lockPath: string): Promise<boolean>
       token?: unknown;
       probePath?: unknown;
       processStartMarker?: unknown;
+      createdAt?: unknown;
     };
     const pid = typeof owner.pid === "number" && Number.isInteger(owner.pid) && owner.pid > 0
       ? owner.pid
@@ -395,10 +410,11 @@ async function removeStaleManagedBundleLock(lockPath: string): Promise<boolean>
       ) {
         shouldRemove = recordedStart !== currentStart;
       } else {
-        // A delayed heartbeat does not prove that a live process has stopped
-        // materializing. Only a comparable process-start marker can safely
-        // distinguish a reused PID from the original owner.
-        shouldRemove = false;
+        // Probe-less legacy locks still record when they were created. A live
+        // process that started later cannot be the original owner, which lets
+        // us recover a reused PID without ever evicting an owner merely because
+        // its heartbeat was delayed.
+        shouldRemove = await processStartedAfterLockCreation(pid, owner.createdAt);
       }
     } else if (pid !== null) {
       shouldRemove = true;