diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/main/services/orchestrator/aiOrchestratorService.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/main/services/orchestrator/aiOrchestratorService.test.ts
index 49075d3be..bb6ef862d 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/main/services/orchestrator/aiOrchestratorService.test.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/main/services/orchestrator/aiOrchestratorService.test.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { randomUUID } from "node:crypto";
 import fs from "node:fs";
 import os from "node:os";
 import path from "node:path";
@@ -7019,6 +7020,76 @@ describe("aiOrchestratorService", () => {
     }
   });
 
+  it("does not sync unlinked run steps onto mission steps already claimed by missionStepId", async () => {
+    const fixture = await createFixture();
+    try {
+      const mission = fixture.missionService.create({
+        prompt: "Avoid ambiguous stepKey sync collisions.",
+        laneId: fixture.laneId,
+        plannedSteps: [
+          {
+            index: 0,
+            title: "Review change",
+            detail: "Primary review step",
+            kind: "review",
+            metadata: { stepType: "review", stepKey: "review" },
+          },
+        ],
+      });
+      const missionStep = fixture.missionService.get(mission.id)?.steps[0];
+      if (!missionStep) throw new Error("Expected mission step");
+
+      const started = fixture.orchestratorService.startRun({
+        missionId: mission.id,
+        steps: [
+          {
+            stepKey: "review",
+            title: missionStep.title,
+            stepIndex: 0,
+            dependencyStepKeys: [],
+            executorKind: "manual",
+            missionStepId: missionStep.id,
+            metadata: { stepType: "review" },
+          },
+        ],
+      });
+      const runId = started.run.id;
+      fixture.missionService.update({
+        missionId: mission.id,
+        status: "in_progress",
+      });
+
+      const spawnedStepId = randomUUID();
+      const now = new Date().toISOString();
+      fixture.db.run(
+        `
+          insert into orchestrator_steps (
+            id,
+            run_id,
+            project_id,
+            mission_step_id,
+            step_key,
+            title,
+            step_index,
+            status,
+            lane_id,
+            metadata_json,
+            created_at,
+            updated_at
+          ) values (?, ?, ?, null, 'review', 'Coordinator review worker', 1, 'failed', ?, '{}', ?, ?)
+        `,
+        [spawnedStepId, runId, fixture.projectId, fixture.laneId, now, now],
+      );
+
+      await fixture.aiOrchestratorService.syncMissionFromRun(runId, "coordinator_worker_failed");
+
+      const refreshed = fixture.missionService.get(mission.id);
+      expect(refreshed?.steps[0]?.status).not.toBe("failed");
+    } finally {
+      fixture.dispose();
+    }
+  });
+
   it("opens terminal failed-step interventions for each matched failed mission step", async () => {
     const fixture = await createFixture();
     try {
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/main/services/orchestrator/aiOrchestratorService.ts b/apps/desktop/src/main/services/orchestrator/aiOrchestratorService.ts
index 86e74d836..28d6d40e9 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/main/services/orchestrator/aiOrchestratorService.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/main/services/orchestrator/aiOrchestratorService.ts
@@ -258,6 +258,7 @@ import {
   getMaxCoordinatorRecoveries as getMaxCoordinatorRecoveriesCtx,
   dispatchOrchestratorHookCtx,
   maybeDispatchTeammateIdleHookCtx,
+  resolveMissionStepForRunStep,
 } from "./missionLifecycle";
 import { resolveFirstPostPlanningPhaseKey } from "../missions/phaseEngine";
 import type { HookDispatchDeps } from "./missionLifecycle";
@@ -6970,40 +6971,12 @@ Check all worker statuses and continue managing the mission from here. Read work
     return interventionId;
   };
 
-  const stableString = (value: unknown): string | null => {
-    if (typeof value !== "string") return null;
-    const trimmed = value.trim();
-    return trimmed.length > 0 ? trimmed : null;
-  };
-
-  const resolveMissionStepForRunStep = (
-    mission: MissionDetail,
-    runStep: OrchestratorRunGraph["steps"][number],
-    missionStepById: Map<string, MissionDetail["steps"][number]> = new Map(mission.steps.map((step) => [step.id, step])),
-  ): MissionDetail["steps"][number] | null => {
-    if (runStep.missionStepId) {
-      const byId = missionStepById.get(runStep.missionStepId);
-      if (byId) return byId;
-    }
-    const runStepId = stableString(runStep.id);
-    const runStepKey = stableString(runStep.stepKey);
-    return mission.steps.find((step) => {
-      const metadata = isRecord(step.metadata) ? step.metadata : null;
-      if (!metadata) return false;
-      const metadataOrchestratorStepId = stableString(metadata.orchestratorStepId);
-      if (runStepId && metadataOrchestratorStepId === runStepId) return true;
-      const metadataStepKey = stableString(metadata.stepKey);
-      return Boolean(runStepKey && metadataStepKey === runStepKey);
-    }) ?? null;
-  };
-
   const syncMissionStepsFromRun = (graph: OrchestratorRunGraph) => {
     const mission = missionService.get(graph.run.missionId);
     if (!mission) return;
-    const missionStepById = new Map(mission.steps.map((step) => [step.id, step]));
 
     for (const runStep of graph.steps) {
-      const missionStep = resolveMissionStepForRunStep(mission, runStep, missionStepById);
+      const missionStep = resolveMissionStepForRunStep(mission, runStep, graph);
       if (!missionStep) continue;
       const nextStatus = mapOrchestratorStepStatus(runStep.status);
       if (missionStep.status === nextStatus) continue;
@@ -7055,7 +7028,6 @@ Check all worker statuses and continue managing the mission from here. Read work
     const mission = missionService.get(graph.run.missionId);
     if (!mission) return;
 
-    const missionStepById = new Map(mission.steps.map((step) => [step.id, step]));
     const hasMatchingOpenIntervention = (
       failedRunStep: OrchestratorRunGraph["steps"][number] | null,
       failedMissionStep: MissionDetail["steps"][number] | null,
@@ -7070,7 +7042,7 @@ Check all worker statuses and continue managing the mission from here. Read work
       .filter((step) => step.status === "failed")
       .map((runStep) => ({
         runStep,
-        missionStep: resolveMissionStepForRunStep(mission, runStep, missionStepById),
+        missionStep: resolveMissionStepForRunStep(mission, runStep, graph),
       }))
       .find(({ runStep, missionStep }) => !hasMatchingOpenIntervention(runStep, missionStep));
     const fallbackMissionStep = failedRunPair
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/main/services/orchestrator/missionLifecycle.ts b/apps/desktop/src/main/services/orchestrator/missionLifecycle.ts
index ba0b40e27..787cdd6d9 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/main/services/orchestrator/missionLifecycle.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/main/services/orchestrator/missionLifecycle.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import {
 } from "./orchestratorContext";
 import type {
   OrchestratorRunGraph,
+  MissionDetail,
   MissionStatus,
   MissionStepStatus,
   OrchestratorWorkerRole,
@@ -160,6 +161,62 @@ export const TERMINAL_PHASE_STEP_STATUSES = new Set<OrchestratorStepStatus>([
 ]);
 
 
+function stableMissionLinkString(value: unknown): string | null {
+  if (typeof value !== "string") return null;
+  const trimmed = value.trim();
+  return trimmed.length > 0 ? trimmed : null;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Resolve the mission step that corresponds to an orchestrator run step.
+ * Avoids ambiguous stepKey matches when coordinator-spawned steps reuse a key
+ * already owned by a mission step linked via missionStepId on another run step.
+ */
+export function resolveMissionStepForRunStep(
+  mission: MissionDetail,
+  runStep: OrchestratorRunGraph["steps"][number],
+  graph?: Pick<OrchestratorRunGraph, "steps">,
+): MissionDetail["steps"][number] | null {
+  const missionStepById = new Map(mission.steps.map((step) => [step.id, step]));
+  if (runStep.missionStepId) {
+    const byId = missionStepById.get(runStep.missionStepId);
+    if (byId) return byId;
+  }
+
+  const runStepId = stableMissionLinkString(runStep.id);
+  if (runStepId) {
+    const byOrchestratorId = mission.steps.find((step) => {
+      const metadata = isRecord(step.metadata) ? step.metadata : null;
+      if (!metadata) return false;
+      return stableMissionLinkString(metadata.orchestratorStepId) === runStepId;
+    });
+    if (byOrchestratorId) return byOrchestratorId;
+  }
+
+  const runStepKey = stableMissionLinkString(runStep.stepKey);
+  if (!runStepKey) return null;
+
+  const claimedMissionStepIds = new Set(
+    (graph?.steps ?? [])
+      .map((step) => stableMissionLinkString(step.missionStepId))
+      .filter((id): id is string => Boolean(id)),
+  );
+
+  const stepKeyMatches = mission.steps.filter((step) => {
+    const metadata = isRecord(step.metadata) ? step.metadata : null;
+    if (!metadata) return false;
+    const metadataStepKey = stableMissionLinkString(metadata.stepKey);
+    if (metadataStepKey !== runStepKey) return false;
+    if (claimedMissionStepIds.has(step.id) && runStep.missionStepId !== step.id) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    return true;
+  });
+
+  if (stepKeyMatches.length === 1) return stepKeyMatches[0]!;
+  return null;
+}
+
 /**
  * Sync mission steps from an orchestrator run graph.
  */
@@ -169,10 +226,7 @@ export function syncMissionStepsFromRun(ctx: OrchestratorContext, graph: Orchest
   if (!mission) return;
 
   for (const step of graph.steps) {
-    const missionStep = mission.steps.find((ms) => {
-      const msMeta = isRecord(ms.metadata) ? ms.metadata : {};
-      return msMeta.orchestratorStepId === step.id || msMeta.stepKey === step.stepKey;
-    });
+    const missionStep = resolveMissionStepForRunStep(mission, step, graph);
     if (missionStep) {
       const apply = () => {
         try {