diff --git a/apps/server/src/orchestration/Layers/OrchestrationEngine.test.ts b/apps/server/src/orchestration/Layers/OrchestrationEngine.test.ts
index edfda7c837a..405103450e8 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/orchestration/Layers/OrchestrationEngine.test.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/orchestration/Layers/OrchestrationEngine.test.ts
@@ -477,6 +477,112 @@ describe("OrchestrationEngine", () => {
     await system.dispose();
   });
 
+  it("does not regress a generated branch to a stale temporary worktree branch", async () => {
+    const system = await createOrchestrationSystem();
+    const { engine } = system;
+    const createdAt = now();
+
+    await system.run(
+      engine.dispatch({
+        type: "project.create",
+        commandId: CommandId.make("cmd-branch-race-project-create"),
+        projectId: asProjectId("project-branch-race"),
+        title: "Branch Race Project",
+        workspaceRoot: "/tmp/project-branch-race",
+        defaultModelSelection: {
+          instanceId: ProviderInstanceId.make("codex"),
+          model: "gpt-5-codex",
+        },
+        createdAt,
+      }),
+    );
+    await system.run(
+      engine.dispatch({
+        type: "thread.create",
+        commandId: CommandId.make("cmd-branch-race-thread-create"),
+        threadId: ThreadId.make("thread-branch-race"),
+        projectId: asProjectId("project-branch-race"),
+        title: "Branch Race Thread",
+        modelSelection: {
+          instanceId: ProviderInstanceId.make("codex"),
+          model: "gpt-5-codex",
+        },
+        interactionMode: DEFAULT_PROVIDER_INTERACTION_MODE,
+        runtimeMode: "approval-required",
+        branch: "t3code/generated-branch-name",
+        worktreePath: "/tmp/project-branch-race-worktree",
+        createdAt,
+      }),
+    );
+
+    await system.run(
+      engine.dispatch({
+        type: "thread.meta.update",
+        commandId: CommandId.make("cmd-stale-temporary-branch-sync"),
+        threadId: ThreadId.make("thread-branch-race"),
+        branch: "t3code/1234abcd",
+        expectedBranch: "t3code/1234abcd",
+      }),
+    );
+
+    const snapshot = await system.readModel();
+    expect(snapshot.threads[0]?.branch).toBe("t3code/generated-branch-name");
+    await system.dispose();
+  });
+
+  it("allows authoritative worktree bootstrap to assign a temporary branch", async () => {
+    const system = await createOrchestrationSystem();
+    const { engine } = system;
+    const createdAt = now();
+
+    await system.run(
+      engine.dispatch({
+        type: "project.create",
+        commandId: CommandId.make("cmd-worktree-bootstrap-project-create"),
+        projectId: asProjectId("project-worktree-bootstrap"),
+        title: "Worktree Bootstrap Project",
+        workspaceRoot: "/tmp/project-worktree-bootstrap",
+        defaultModelSelection: {
+          instanceId: ProviderInstanceId.make("codex"),
+          model: "gpt-5-codex",
+        },
+        createdAt,
+      }),
+    );
+    await system.run(
+      engine.dispatch({
+        type: "thread.create",
+        commandId: CommandId.make("cmd-worktree-bootstrap-thread-create"),
+        threadId: ThreadId.make("thread-worktree-bootstrap"),
+        projectId: asProjectId("project-worktree-bootstrap"),
+        title: "Worktree Bootstrap Thread",
+        modelSelection: {
+          instanceId: ProviderInstanceId.make("codex"),
+          model: "gpt-5-codex",
+        },
+        interactionMode: DEFAULT_PROVIDER_INTERACTION_MODE,
+        runtimeMode: "approval-required",
+        branch: "main",
+        worktreePath: null,
+        createdAt,
+      }),
+    );
+    await system.run(
+      engine.dispatch({
+        type: "thread.meta.update",
+        commandId: CommandId.make("cmd-authoritative-worktree-bootstrap"),
+        threadId: ThreadId.make("thread-worktree-bootstrap"),
+        branch: "t3code/1234abcd",
+        worktreePath: "/tmp/project-worktree-bootstrap-worktree",
+      }),
+    );
+
+    const snapshot = await system.readModel();
+    expect(snapshot.threads[0]?.branch).toBe("t3code/1234abcd");
+    expect(snapshot.threads[0]?.worktreePath).toBe("/tmp/project-worktree-bootstrap-worktree");
+    await system.dispose();
+  });
+
   it("records command ack duration using the first committed event type", async () => {
     const system = await createOrchestrationSystem();
     const { engine } = system;
diff --git a/apps/server/src/orchestration/decider.ts b/apps/server/src/orchestration/decider.ts
index 0d4af771ca8..9c95b42269d 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/orchestration/decider.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/orchestration/decider.ts
@@ -313,11 +313,17 @@ export const decideOrchestrationCommand = Effect.fn("decideOrchestrationCommand"
     }
 
     case "thread.meta.update": {
-      yield* requireThread({
+      const thread = yield* requireThread({
         readModel,
         command,
         threadId: command.threadId,
       });
+      const branch =
+        command.branch !== undefined &&
+        command.expectedBranch !== undefined &&
+        thread.branch !== command.expectedBranch
+          ? thread.branch
+          : command.branch;
       const occurredAt = yield* nowIso;
       return {
         ...(yield* withEventBase({
@@ -333,7 +339,7 @@ export const decideOrchestrationCommand = Effect.fn("decideOrchestrationCommand"
           ...(command.modelSelection !== undefined
             ? { modelSelection: command.modelSelection }
             : {}),
-          ...(command.branch !== undefined ? { branch: command.branch } : {}),
+          ...(branch !== undefined ? { branch } : {}),
           ...(command.worktreePath !== undefined ? { worktreePath: command.worktreePath } : {}),
           updatedAt: occurredAt,
         },
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/GitActionsControl.logic.test.ts b/apps/web/src/components/GitActionsControl.logic.test.ts
index 3781fad8336..f302e976ca7 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/GitActionsControl.logic.test.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/GitActionsControl.logic.test.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import {
   resolveLiveThreadBranchUpdate,
   resolveQuickAction,
   resolveThreadBranchUpdate,
+  resolveThreadBranchMetadataPatch,
 } from "./GitActionsControl.logic";
 
 function status(overrides: Partial<VcsStatusResult> = {}): VcsStatusResult {
@@ -1111,6 +1112,18 @@ describe("resolveLiveThreadBranchUpdate", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("resolveThreadBranchMetadataPatch", () => {
+  it("does not overwrite worktree metadata while reconciling a branch", () => {
+    assert.deepEqual(
+      resolveThreadBranchMetadataPatch("feature/current-ref", "feature/previous-ref"),
+      {
+        branch: "feature/current-ref",
+        expectedBranch: "feature/previous-ref",
+      },
+    );
+  });
+});
+
 describe("resolveAutoFeatureBranchName", () => {
   it("uses semantic preferred ref names when available", () => {
     const ref = resolveAutoFeatureBranchName(["main", "feature/other"], "fix toast copy");
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/GitActionsControl.logic.ts b/apps/web/src/components/GitActionsControl.logic.ts
index 3f6bae61cdd..96f7af794ac 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/GitActionsControl.logic.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/GitActionsControl.logic.ts
@@ -373,6 +373,16 @@ export function resolveThreadBranchUpdate(
   };
 }
 
+export function resolveThreadBranchMetadataPatch(
+  branch: string | null,
+  expectedBranch: string | null,
+): {
+  branch: string | null;
+  expectedBranch: string | null;
+} {
+  return { branch, expectedBranch };
+}
+
 export function resolveLiveThreadBranchUpdate(input: {
   threadBranch: string | null;
   gitStatus: VcsStatusResult | null;
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/GitActionsControl.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/GitActionsControl.tsx
index c9816719452..f71e855a18f 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/GitActionsControl.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/GitActionsControl.tsx
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ import {
   requiresDefaultBranchConfirmation,
   resolveDefaultBranchActionDialogCopy,
   resolveLiveThreadBranchUpdate,
+  resolveThreadBranchMetadataPatch,
   resolveQuickAction,
   resolveThreadBranchUpdate,
 } from "./GitActionsControl.logic";
@@ -1033,13 +1034,11 @@ export default function GitActionsControl({
           return;
         }
 
-        const worktreePath = activeServerThread.worktreePath;
         void updateThreadMetadata({
           environmentId: activeThreadRef.environmentId,
           input: {
             threadId: activeThreadRef.threadId,
-            branch,
-            worktreePath,
+            ...resolveThreadBranchMetadataPatch(branch, activeServerThread.branch),
           },
         });
 
diff --git a/packages/contracts/src/orchestration.ts b/packages/contracts/src/orchestration.ts
index 49a626e20af..7e9c421b5df 100644
--- a/packages/contracts/src/orchestration.ts
+++ b/packages/contracts/src/orchestration.ts
@@ -552,6 +552,7 @@ const ThreadMetaUpdateCommand = Schema.Struct({
   title: Schema.optional(TrimmedNonEmptyString),
   modelSelection: Schema.optional(ModelSelection),
   branch: Schema.optional(Schema.NullOr(TrimmedNonEmptyString)),
+  expectedBranch: Schema.optional(Schema.NullOr(TrimmedNonEmptyString)),
   worktreePath: Schema.optional(Schema.NullOr(TrimmedNonEmptyString)),
 });