diff --git a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-catchup-output.ts b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-catchup-output.ts
index 3ffc8a99f..af4561c32 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-catchup-output.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-catchup-output.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,9 @@ export interface ArchiveFileIdentity {
 
 /** Open without truncation first: a replaced partial must not damage its target. */
 export async function openCatchupOutput(
-    partialPath: string
+    partialPath: string,
+    expectedIdentity?: ArchiveFileIdentity,
+    beforeTruncate?: () => Promise<void>
 ): Promise<{ stream: WriteStream; identity: ArchiveFileIdentity }> {
     const before = await lstat(partialPath).catch(
         (error: NodeJS.ErrnoException) => {
@@ -34,10 +36,16 @@ export async function openCatchupOutput(
             !current.isFile() ||
             current.nlink !== 1 ||
             (before &&
-                (current.dev !== before.dev || current.ino !== before.ino))
+                (current.dev !== before.dev || current.ino !== before.ino)) ||
+            (before &&
+                expectedIdentity &&
+                (current.dev !== expectedIdentity.dev ||
+                    current.ino !== expectedIdentity.ino))
         ) {
             throw new Error('Archive partial changed before opening');
         }
+        // Keep durable ownership evidence until the actual descriptor passes.
+        await beforeTruncate?.();
         await handle.truncate(0);
         // All writes use this verified descriptor; never reopen by pathname.
         return {
diff --git a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-catchup-runtime.spec.ts b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-catchup-runtime.spec.ts
index f0ee7ae42..e29d49216 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-catchup-runtime.spec.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-catchup-runtime.spec.ts
@@ -11,10 +11,13 @@ import { join } from 'node:path';
 import { getDatabase } from '../../database/connection';
 import { transferCatchupToPartialFile } from './download-catchup-transfer';
 import { enqueueDownload } from './download-runtime';
+import { readArchiveFinalizations } from './download-catchup-journal';
 import type { DownloadTask } from './download-task';
 
 jest.mock('./download-catchup-journal', () => ({
     recordArchiveFinalization: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+    clearArchiveFinalization: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+    readArchiveFinalizations: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(new Map()),
 }));
 jest.mock('../../database/connection', () => ({ getDatabase: jest.fn() }));
 jest.mock('./download-catchup-transfer', () => ({
@@ -61,6 +64,12 @@ it.each(['failed', 'canceled'])(
                 active.catchupPartialIdentity = await lstat(
                     reservation.partialPath
                 );
+                expect(active.catchupExpectedPartialIdentity).toEqual(
+                    expect.objectContaining({
+                        dev: active.catchupPartialIdentity.dev,
+                        ino: active.catchupPartialIdentity.ino,
+                    })
+                );
                 await rename(
                     reservation.partialPath,
                     join(directory, 'original')
@@ -74,6 +83,23 @@ it.each(['failed', 'canceled'])(
             .spyOn(console, 'error')
             .mockImplementation(() => undefined);
         try {
+            task.filePath = join(directory, 'show.ts');
+            await writeFile(task.filePath + '.part', 'retained archive');
+            const partial = await lstat(task.filePath + '.part');
+            jest.mocked(readArchiveFinalizations).mockResolvedValueOnce(
+                new Map([
+                    [
+                        task.id,
+                        {
+                            version: 1,
+                            filePath: task.filePath,
+                            size: partial.size,
+                            partialIdentity: partial,
+                            finalIdentity: partial,
+                        },
+                    ],
+                ])
+            );
             enqueueDownload(task);
             await completed;
             // Let the queue's finally block retire this task before the next case.
diff --git a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-catchup-transfer.spec.ts b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-catchup-transfer.spec.ts
index 3a3e0d3c5..697bdb193 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-catchup-transfer.spec.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-catchup-transfer.spec.ts
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ describe('TS archive transfer', () => {
     });
 });
 
-it.each(['symlink', 'hardlink'])(
+it.each(['symlink', 'hardlink', 'regular file'])(
     'refuses a retained archive partial replaced by a %s',
     async (kind) => {
         const directory = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'archive-replaced-'));
@@ -234,7 +234,9 @@ it.each(['symlink', 'hardlink'])(
             await writeFile(target, 'keep this file intact');
             await (kind === 'symlink'
                 ? symlink(target, path + '.part')
-                : link(target, path + '.part'));
+                : kind === 'hardlink'
+                  ? link(target, path + '.part')
+                  : writeFile(path + '.part', 'keep this file intact'));
             jest.mocked(requestWithValidatedRedirects).mockResolvedValue({
                 status: 200,
                 headers: { 'content-type': 'video/mp2t' },
@@ -242,11 +244,14 @@ it.each(['symlink', 'hardlink'])(
             } as never);
             const task: DownloadTask = {
                 id: 3,
+                catchupExpectedPartialIdentity: await stat(target),
                 url: 'https://host/archive.ts',
                 fileName: 'archive.ts',
                 directory,
                 catchup: metadata,
             };
+            const journalClears = jest.mocked(clearArchiveFinalization).mock
+                .calls.length;
             await expect(
                 transferCatchupToPartialFile({} as DownloadsDatabase, task, {
                     path,
@@ -254,6 +259,12 @@ it.each(['symlink', 'hardlink'])(
                     filename: 'archive.ts',
                 })
             ).rejects.toThrow();
+            expect(
+                jest.mocked(clearArchiveFinalization).mock.calls.length
+            ).toBe(journalClears);
+            expect(await readFile(path + '.part', 'utf8')).toBe(
+                'keep this file intact'
+            );
             expect(await readFile(target, 'utf8')).toBe(
                 'keep this file intact'
             );
diff --git a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-catchup-transfer.ts b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-catchup-transfer.ts
index 24430765f..a124bb8d9 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-catchup-transfer.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-catchup-transfer.ts
@@ -71,7 +71,6 @@ export async function transferCatchupToPartialFile(
     let output: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof openCatchupOutput>> | undefined;
     let pendingProgress = Promise.resolve();
     try {
-        await clearArchiveFinalization(db, task.id);
         const response = await requestWithValidatedRedirects<Readable>(
             task.url,
             {
@@ -100,7 +99,11 @@ export async function transferCatchupToPartialFile(
             Number.isSafeInteger(length) && length > 0 ? length : null;
         // Restart safely before measuring space: the retained file is
         // reclaimable only after its verified descriptor has been truncated.
-        output = await openCatchupOutput(reservation.partialPath);
+        output = await openCatchupOutput(
+            reservation.partialPath,
+            task.catchupExpectedPartialIdentity,
+            () => clearArchiveFinalization(db, task.id)
+        );
         output.stream.on('error', () => undefined);
         task.catchupPartialIdentity = output.identity;
         const byteLimit = await getArchiveByteLimit(
diff --git a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-runtime.ts b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-runtime.ts
index 4cea0748d..5792abd7b 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-runtime.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-runtime.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+import {
+    clearArchiveFinalization,
+    readArchiveFinalizations,
+} from './download-catchup-journal';
 import { cleanupSelectedCatchupPartial } from './download-catchup-cleanup';
 import {
     persistCancellation,
@@ -196,6 +200,17 @@ async function startDownload(task: DownloadTask): Promise<void> {
             return;
         }
 
+        if (task.catchup) {
+            if (task.filePath) {
+                const proof = (
+                    await readArchiveFinalizations(db, [task.id])
+                ).get(task.id);
+                task.catchupExpectedPartialIdentity = proof?.partialIdentity;
+            } else {
+                // A fresh reservation must not inherit a previous attempt's proof.
+                await clearArchiveFinalization(db, task.id);
+            }
+        }
         reservation = await reserveTarget(task);
         task.fileName = reservation.filename;
         task.filePath = reservation.path;
diff --git a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-task.ts b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-task.ts
index 89fbfb9d2..d5233004c 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-task.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-task.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ export interface CompletedPartialProgress extends TransferProgress {
 export interface DownloadTask {
     catchup?: CatchupDownloadMetadata;
     catchupPartialIdentity?: ArchiveFileIdentity;
+    catchupExpectedPartialIdentity?: ArchiveFileIdentity;
     catchupFinalized?: {
         filePath: string;
         identity: ArchiveFileIdentity;
diff --git a/docs/architecture/download-manager.md b/docs/architecture/download-manager.md
index 2bc10d1a7..468e98758 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/download-manager.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/download-manager.md
@@ -67,7 +67,9 @@ journal also makes startup partial cleanup identity-aware. A journaled partial
 whose identity changed is preserved and detached from the failed row; Retry
 reserves a fresh path instead of adopting or truncating it. The journal remains with
 completed archives until they are removed. An explicitly restarted transfer
-clears the previous attempt's proof before network requests or partial-file writes. Process-local proof allows immediate
+carries the journaled source identity through any destination renaming and checks
+it against the opened descriptor. Only then does it clear the previous proof,
+before truncation or writes; a rejected replacement keeps its journal for retry. Process-local proof allows immediate
 recovery after a transient completion DB error without waiting for a restart.
 Fallback copying observes pause/cancel between bounded 64 KiB reads/writes and
 before publication completes. Interruption removes only the owned copy and