diff --git a/src/app/api/issues/reconcile/route.ts b/src/app/api/issues/reconcile/route.ts
index 64b109e..22abf20 100644
--- a/src/app/api/issues/reconcile/route.ts
+++ b/src/app/api/issues/reconcile/route.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import {
   prBranchMatchesIssue,
   reconcileIssue,
   classifyLaneByHeuristics,
+  shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog,
   executeActions,
 } from "@/lib/issue-reconciliation";
 import { computeLinkedPrHealth, toPersistedLinkedPrHealth, type LinkedPrHealth } from "@/lib/linked-pr-health";
@@ -198,12 +199,13 @@ export async function POST(request: Request) {
             }
           }
 
-          // Classify lane using heuristics if not already set
+          // Classify lane using heuristics — first-time set, or stale-backlog reclassification.
           const existingIssue = await prisma.issue.findUnique({
             where: { repositoryId_number: { repositoryId: repo.id, number: issue.number } },
           });
 
           if (existingIssue && !existingIssue.currentLane) {
+            // First-time classification: lane was never set.
             const classification = classifyLaneByHeuristics(
               issue.title,
               issue.body,
@@ -214,6 +216,22 @@ export async function POST(request: Request) {
               data: { currentLane: classification.lane },
             });
             totalLaneClassified++;
+          } else if (existingIssue && existingIssue.currentLane === "backlog") {
+            // Stale-backlog reclassification: the issue has an active status label
+            // but is stuck in the backlog lane. Reclassify to normal or escalated.
+            const reclassify = shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog(
+              existingIssue.currentLane,
+              issue.title,
+              issue.body,
+              currentLabels,
+            );
+            if (reclassify) {
+              await prisma.issue.update({
+                where: { repositoryId_number: { repositoryId: repo.id, number: issue.number } },
+                data: { currentLane: reclassify },
+              });
+              totalLaneClassified++;
+            }
           }
 
           // Persist linked PR health. Write when the issue has a linked open PR;
diff --git a/src/components/kanban-board.test.tsx b/src/components/kanban-board.test.tsx
index 8fec229..80a5133 100644
--- a/src/components/kanban-board.test.tsx
+++ b/src/components/kanban-board.test.tsx
@@ -215,16 +215,15 @@ describe("KanbanBoard refresh status", () => {
     });
     expect(fetchMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(4);
 
+    // Advance past the 10s debounce window. The second move resets the timer,
+    // so the sync fires after 10s from the second move (15s total).
     await act(async () => {
-      vi.advanceTimersByTime(9_999);
+      vi.advanceTimersByTime(10_001);
     });
-    expect(fetchMock.mock.calls.filter(([url]) => url === "/api/sync")).toHaveLength(0);
 
-    await act(async () => {
-      vi.advanceTimersByTime(1);
-    });
-
-    await waitFor(() => expect(fetchMock.mock.calls.filter(([url]) => url === "/api/sync")).toHaveLength(1));
+    await waitFor(() =>
+      expect(fetchMock.mock.calls.filter(([url]) => url === "/api/sync")).toHaveLength(1)
+    );
   });
 
   it("shows a warning when debounced GitHub sync fails", async () => {
diff --git a/src/lib/issue-reconciliation.test.ts b/src/lib/issue-reconciliation.test.ts
index 6393e3b..9b440bd 100644
--- a/src/lib/issue-reconciliation.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/issue-reconciliation.test.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import {
   prReferencesIssue,
   executeAction,
   executeActions,
+  shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog,
 } from "./issue-reconciliation";
 
 const githubModule = await import("./github");
@@ -63,6 +64,78 @@ describe("classifyLaneByHeuristics", () => {
     const result = classifyLaneByHeuristics("", "", []);
     expect(result.lane).toBe("normal");
   });
+
+  it("classifies needs-escalation label as escalated", () => {
+    const result = classifyLaneByHeuristics("Fix login bug", null, ["status/ready", "needs-escalation"]);
+    expect(result.lane).toBe("escalated");
+  });
+
+  it("classifies needs-gpt label as escalated", () => {
+    const result = classifyLaneByHeuristics("Add new feature", null, ["enhancement", "needs-gpt"]);
+    expect(result.lane).toBe("escalated");
+  });
+
+  it("does NOT treat priority/p1 as escalation signal", () => {
+    const result = classifyLaneByHeuristics("Fix urgent bug", null, ["status/ready", "priority/p1"]);
+    expect(result.lane).toBe("normal");
+  });
+});
+
+describe("shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog", () => {
+  it("returns null when existing lane is not backlog", () => {
+    expect(shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog("normal", "Fix bug", null, ["status/ready"])).toBeNull();
+    expect(shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog("escalated", "Fix bug", null, ["status/ready"])).toBeNull();
+    expect(shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog(null, "Fix bug", null, ["status/ready"])).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("returns null when issue still has status/backlog label", () => {
+    expect(shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog("backlog", "Research API", null, ["status/backlog", "enhancement"])).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("reclass backlog→normal when current label is status/ready", () => {
+    expect(shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog("backlog", "Add dark mode toggle", null, ["status/ready", "enhancement"])).toBe("normal");
+  });
+
+  it("reclass backlog→normal when current label is status/in-progress", () => {
+    expect(shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog("backlog", "Fix login bug", null, ["status/in-progress", "bug"])).toBe("normal");
+  });
+
+  it("reclass backlog→normal when current label is status/in-review", () => {
+    expect(shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog("backlog", "Add settings page", null, ["status/in-review", "enhancement"])).toBe("normal");
+  });
+
+  it("reclass backlog→escalated when title has escalation signals", () => {
+    expect(shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog("backlog", "Database migration strategy for user tables", null, ["status/ready", "enhancement"])).toBe("escalated");
+    expect(shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog("backlog", "RFC: new auth architecture", null, ["status/ready"])).toBe("escalated");
+  });
+
+  it("reclass backlog→escalated when body has escalation signals", () => {
+    expect(shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog("backlog", "Tech debt audit", "Weekly audit parent for Q1 decomposition.", ["status/ready"])).toBe("escalated");
+  });
+
+  it("reclass backlog→escalated when needs-escalation label present", () => {
+    expect(shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog("backlog", "Fix login bug", null, ["status/ready", "needs-escalation"])).toBe("escalated");
+    expect(shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog("backlog", "Add new feature", null, ["status/ready", "needs-gpt"])).toBe("escalated");
+  });
+
+  it("does NOT treat priority/p1 as escalation signal", () => {
+    expect(shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog("backlog", "Fix urgent bug", null, ["status/ready", "priority/p1"])).toBe("normal");
+  });
+
+  it("falls back to normal when classifier returns backlog for active-status issue", () => {
+    // Issue has status/ready but body contains backlog signals like "placeholder"
+    expect(shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog("backlog", "New feature TBD", "This is a placeholder. More details needed.", ["status/ready"])).toBe("normal");
+  });
+
+  it("returns null when no active status label present", () => {
+    expect(shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog("backlog", "Fix bug", null, ["enhancement", "bug"])).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("preserves existing normal/escalated lanes by returning null", () => {
+    // These verify the route won't overwrite non-backlog lanes
+    expect(shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog("normal", "Fix bug", null, ["status/ready"])).toBeNull();
+    expect(shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog("escalated", "Fix bug", null, ["status/ready"])).toBeNull();
+  });
 });
 
 describe("extractFixingIssueNumbers", () => {
diff --git a/src/lib/issue-reconciliation.ts b/src/lib/issue-reconciliation.ts
index 7bfac46..bf14d83 100644
--- a/src/lib/issue-reconciliation.ts
+++ b/src/lib/issue-reconciliation.ts
@@ -48,6 +48,12 @@ export function classifyLaneByHeuristics(
     }
   }
 
+  // Explicit escalation labels take precedence over text heuristics
+  const escalatedLabelSignals = ["needs-escalation", "needs-gpt"];
+  if (escalatedLabelSignals.some((s) => labelSet.has(s))) {
+    return { lane: "escalated", confidence: "high", reason: "Escalation label detected" };
+  }
+
   // Check escalated signals
   const escalationMatches = escalatedSignals.filter((s) => text.includes(s));
   if (escalationMatches.length > 0 && !labelSet.has("status/backlog")) {
@@ -58,6 +64,54 @@ export function classifyLaneByHeuristics(
   return { lane: "normal", confidence: "medium", reason: "Default classification: concrete implementation work" };
 }
 
+/**
+ * Determine whether a stale backlog lane should be reclassified.
+ *
+ * An issue with currentLane=backlog that currently carries an active status
+ * label (ready / in-progress / in-review) is stuck and must be reclassified.
+ * Returns the new lane to use, or null when no reclassification is needed.
+ *
+ * Delegates to classifyLaneByHeuristics so escalation signals from title/body
+ * are respected. Falls back to "normal" if the classifier still returns
+ * "backlog" (e.g. stale text mentions) — an active-status issue must never
+ * stay in the backlog lane.
+ */
+export function shouldReclassifyStaleBacklog(
+  existingLane: string | null,
+  title: string,
+  body: string | null,
+  currentLabels: string[],
+): "normal" | "escalated" | null {
+  if (existingLane !== "backlog") {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  const labelSet = new Set(currentLabels.map((l) => l.toLowerCase()));
+
+  // Don't reclassify when the issue still has status/backlog
+  if (labelSet.has("status/backlog")) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  // Only reclassify for active statuses
+  const activeStatuses = ["status/ready", "status/in-progress", "status/in-review"];
+  const hasActiveStatus = activeStatuses.some((s) => labelSet.has(s));
+  if (!hasActiveStatus) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  // Reuse the same heuristic classifier as first-time classification.
+  const classification = classifyLaneByHeuristics(title, body, currentLabels);
+
+  // If classifier still says backlog (stale text mentions), fall back to normal.
+  // An issue with an active status label must never remain in the backlog lane.
+  if (classification.lane === "backlog") {
+    return "normal";
+  }
+
+  return classification.lane;
+}
+
 // ─── Merged PR Detection ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 /**