diff --git a/NEXT_CHANGELOG.md b/NEXT_CHANGELOG.md
index ede82f77791..6268f2492ba 100644
--- a/NEXT_CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/NEXT_CHANGELOG.md
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 ### Bundles
 * Remove `experimental-jobs-as-code` template, superseded by `pydabs` ([#4999](https://github.com/databricks/cli/pull/4999)).
 * engine/direct: Added support for Vector Search Endpoints ([#4887](https://github.com/databricks/cli/pull/4887))
+* engine/direct: Exclude deploy-only fields (e.g. `lifecycle`) from the Apps update mask so requests that change both `description` and `lifecycle.started` in the same deploy no longer fail with `INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE`.
 
 ### Dependency updates
 
diff --git a/acceptance/bundle/resources/apps/lifecycle-started/output.txt b/acceptance/bundle/resources/apps/lifecycle-started/output.txt
index f5cfeeb0214..b07d44dc5ac 100644
--- a/acceptance/bundle/resources/apps/lifecycle-started/output.txt
+++ b/acceptance/bundle/resources/apps/lifecycle-started/output.txt
@@ -70,7 +70,23 @@ Deploying resources...
 Updating deployment state...
 Deployment complete!
 
->>> print_requests.py //deployments
+>>> print_requests.py //apps
+{
+  "method": "POST",
+  "path": "/api/2.0/apps/[UNIQUE_NAME]/stop",
+  "body": {}
+}
+{
+  "method": "POST",
+  "path": "/api/2.0/apps/[UNIQUE_NAME]/update",
+  "body": {
+    "app": {
+      "description": "MY_APP_DESCRIPTION_2",
+      "name": "[UNIQUE_NAME]"
+    },
+    "update_mask": "description"
+  }
+}
 
 >>> errcode [CLI] apps get [UNIQUE_NAME]
 "STOPPED"
@@ -87,7 +103,23 @@ Deploying resources...
 Updating deployment state...
 Deployment complete!
 
->>> print_requests.py //deployments
+>>> print_requests.py //apps
+{
+  "method": "POST",
+  "path": "/api/2.0/apps/[UNIQUE_NAME]/update",
+  "body": {
+    "app": {
+      "description": "MY_APP_DESCRIPTION_3",
+      "name": "[UNIQUE_NAME]"
+    },
+    "update_mask": "description"
+  }
+}
+{
+  "method": "POST",
+  "path": "/api/2.0/apps/[UNIQUE_NAME]/start",
+  "body": {}
+}
 {
   "method": "POST",
   "path": "/api/2.0/apps/[UNIQUE_NAME]/deployments",
diff --git a/acceptance/bundle/resources/apps/lifecycle-started/script b/acceptance/bundle/resources/apps/lifecycle-started/script
index f356cea4b3d..710dec5a10a 100644
--- a/acceptance/bundle/resources/apps/lifecycle-started/script
+++ b/acceptance/bundle/resources/apps/lifecycle-started/script
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ title "Stop app externally, then deploy with started=false: app stays stopped"
 trace update_file.py databricks.yml "started: true" "started: false"
 trace update_file.py databricks.yml MY_APP_DESCRIPTION MY_APP_DESCRIPTION_2
 trace errcode $CLI bundle deploy
-trace print_requests.py //deployments
+trace print_requests.py //apps
 rm -f out.requests.txt
 { trace errcode $CLI apps get $UNIQUE_NAME | jq '.compute_status.state'; } || true
 
@@ -39,6 +39,6 @@ title "Deploy with started=true: compute restarted and code deployed"
 trace update_file.py databricks.yml "started: false" "started: true"
 trace update_file.py databricks.yml MY_APP_DESCRIPTION_2 MY_APP_DESCRIPTION_3
 trace errcode $CLI bundle deploy
-trace print_requests.py //deployments
+trace print_requests.py //apps
 rm -f out.requests.txt
 { trace errcode $CLI apps get $UNIQUE_NAME | jq '.compute_status.state'; } || true
diff --git a/bundle/direct/dresources/app.go b/bundle/direct/dresources/app.go
index 45eae12fe3f..b40a22b9412 100644
--- a/bundle/direct/dresources/app.go
+++ b/bundle/direct/dresources/app.go
@@ -172,6 +172,9 @@ func (r *ResourceApp) DoUpdate(ctx context.Context, id string, config *AppState,
 		for i, fieldPath := range fieldPaths {
 			fieldPaths[i] = truncateAtIndex(fieldPath)
 		}
+		fieldPaths = slices.DeleteFunc(fieldPaths, func(p string) bool {
+			return deployOnlyFields[p]
+		})
 		updateMask := strings.Join(fieldPaths, ",")
 		request := apps.AsyncUpdateAppRequest{
 			App:        &config.App,