diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationsPage.create-destination.test.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationsPage.create-destination.test.tsx
index 93ff1adc93b..fdfdb7d7ff0 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationsPage.create-destination.test.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationsPage.create-destination.test.tsx
@@ -528,6 +528,70 @@ describe('AutomationsPage edit destination', () => {
     expect(api.automations.delete).toHaveBeenCalled()
   })
 
+  it('reuses the move creation key on retry even when the schedule changed', async () => {
+    const automation = makeAutomation({ id: 'a-1' })
+    api.automations.list.mockResolvedValue([])
+    scopedList([automation])
+    runtimeHost([], [])
+    addRuntimeProject()
+    // The first create dies in transport after the server may have committed;
+    // only an identical creationKey on the retry keeps that copy singular.
+    let failCreate = true
+    const previous = mocks.callRuntimeRpc.getMockImplementation()
+    mocks.callRuntimeRpc.mockImplementation(
+      async (target: unknown, method: string, params: unknown, options: unknown) => {
+        if (method === 'automation.create') {
+          if (failCreate) {
+            failCreate = false
+            throw new Error('socket hang up')
+          }
+          return { automation: makeAutomation({ id: 'a-moved', projectId: RUNTIME_REPO_ID }) }
+        }
+        return await previous?.(target, method, params, options)
+      }
+    )
+
+    await renderPage()
+    await settleHostQueries()
+    await act(async () => {
+      void mocks.listPanel?.openEditDialog(listedRow(automation.id))
+    })
+    await act(async () => {
+      mocks.editorDialog?.editDestination?.onSelect(RUNTIME_SELF_KEY)
+    })
+    await act(async () => {
+      mocks.editorDialog?.onDraftChange((current) => ({
+        ...(current as Record<string, unknown>),
+        projectId: RUNTIME_REPO_ID,
+        workspaceMode: 'existing',
+        workspaceId: RUNTIME_WORKSPACE_ID,
+        // A changed schedule mints dtstart per attempt — the volatile input that
+        // must not re-key the move.
+        preset: 'custom',
+        customSchedule: 'FREQ=DAILY;BYHOUR=10;BYMINUTE=0'
+      }))
+    })
+
+    const realNow = Date.now.bind(Date)
+    let clockSkew = 0
+    const nowSpy = vi.spyOn(Date, 'now').mockImplementation(() => realNow() + clockSkew)
+    try {
+      await save()
+      clockSkew = 5000
+      await save()
+    } finally {
+      nowSpy.mockRestore()
+    }
+
+    const creationKeys = runtimeCreateCalls().map(
+      (call) => (call[2] as { creationKey?: string }).creationKey
+    )
+    expect(creationKeys).toHaveLength(2)
+    expect(creationKeys[0]).toBeTruthy()
+    expect(creationKeys[1]).toBe(creationKeys[0])
+    expect(api.automations.delete).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ id: 'a-1' }))
+  })
+
   it('reports a kept original as two live copies, never as a completed move', async () => {
     const automation = makeAutomation({ id: 'a-1' })
     api.automations.list.mockResolvedValue([])
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationsPage.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationsPage.tsx
index 2f375024371..69d69c815ea 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationsPage.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/automations/AutomationsPage.tsx
@@ -1345,12 +1345,13 @@ export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
     if (!draft.projectId) {
       return
     }
-    const available = worktreesByRepo[draft.projectId] ?? []
-    const defaultWorktree = getDefaultWorktree(available)
+    // Authority-scoped: the merged cache would restore a source-host workspace
+    // after a host change clears it, which save validation then rejects.
+    const defaultWorktree = getDefaultWorktree(dialogWorktrees)
     if (!draft.workspaceId && defaultWorktree) {
       setDraft((current) => ({ ...current, workspaceId: defaultWorktree.id }))
     }
-  }, [draft.projectId, draft.workspaceId, worktreesByRepo])
+  }, [dialogWorktrees, draft.projectId, draft.workspaceId])
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (
@@ -2026,7 +2027,8 @@ export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
       })
       setDraft((current) => ({ ...current, name: '', prompt: '' }))
       await refresh()
-      // A move creates a new row on another authority; select it by its new id.
+      // A move retires the edited row key; the else branch selects the new copy
+      // by id alone and lets the refreshed list resolve its row.
       if (editingAutomationId && editingRowKey && !moveTarget) {
         setSelectedAutomationRunPageId(null)
         setSelectedRowKey(editingRowKey)
@@ -2094,7 +2096,10 @@ export default function AutomationsPage(): React.JSX.Element {
         originalRemoved: false
       }
     }
-    const operationKey = `${source.id}:${target.entry.stableKey}:${JSON.stringify(input)}`
+    // Keyed by the move, not its payload: dtstart is minted per attempt, so a
+    // payload-keyed retry would mint a fresh creationKey and let an ambiguous
+    // create failure schedule a second copy on the destination.
+    const operationKey = `${source.id}:${target.entry.stableKey}`
     const creationKey = moveCreationKeysRef.current.get(operationKey) ?? crypto.randomUUID()
     moveCreationKeysRef.current.set(operationKey, creationKey)
     const created = toDispatchResult(