diff --git a/src/main/runtime/rpc/methods/orchestration/runs/dispatch-methods.ts b/src/main/runtime/rpc/methods/orchestration/runs/dispatch-methods.ts
index 8b9ea094a5f..f836a5fc02d 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/rpc/methods/orchestration/runs/dispatch-methods.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/rpc/methods/orchestration/runs/dispatch-methods.ts
@@ -70,14 +70,6 @@ export const ORCHESTRATION_DISPATCH_METHODS: RpcMethod[] = [
         throw new Error(`Task ${params.task} is ${task.status}; only ready tasks can be dispatched`)
       }
 
-      // Why: injecting the preamble into a bare shell dumps it as shell commands (gibberish), so require a detected agent first.
-      if (params.inject) {
-        const hasAgent = await runtime.isTerminalRunningAgent(to)
-        if (!hasAgent) {
-          throw new Error(buildInjectRejectionMessage(to))
-        }
-      }
-
       const dispatchAuthority = runtime.getOrchestrationDispatchAuthority(to)
       const assigneePaneKey =
         dispatchAuthority?.paneKey ?? runtime.getTerminalPaneKey(to) ?? undefined
@@ -85,12 +77,6 @@ export const ORCHESTRATION_DISPATCH_METHODS: RpcMethod[] = [
         dispatchAuthority?.paneKey && dispatchAuthority.processIncarnation
           ? dispatchAuthority.processIncarnation
           : undefined
-      if (params.inject && (!assigneePaneKey || !processIncarnation)) {
-        throw new OrchestrationError(
-          'stable_pane_required',
-          `Terminal ${to} has no stable pane/process incarnation for lifecycle authority.`
-        )
-      }
       // Why: the assignee side prefers dispatch authority, so the caller side must too — getTerminalPaneKey
       // alone returns null for a handle reachable only through the window-graph leaf, going inert here.
       const callerPane = params.from
@@ -112,6 +98,21 @@ export const ORCHESTRATION_DISPATCH_METHODS: RpcMethod[] = [
         )
       }
 
+      // Why: injecting the preamble into a bare shell dumps it as shell commands (gibberish), so require a detected agent first.
+      if (params.inject) {
+        const hasAgent = await runtime.isTerminalRunningAgent(to)
+        if (!hasAgent) {
+          throw new Error(buildInjectRejectionMessage(to))
+        }
+      }
+
+      if (params.inject && (!assigneePaneKey || !processIncarnation)) {
+        throw new OrchestrationError(
+          'stable_pane_required',
+          `Terminal ${to} has no stable pane/process incarnation for lifecycle authority.`
+        )
+      }
+
       revalidateLegacyCoordinator?.()
       const ctx = db.createDispatchContext({
         taskId: params.task,
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/rpc/methods/orchestration/worker/manual-dispatch-observation.test.ts b/src/main/runtime/rpc/methods/orchestration/worker/manual-dispatch-observation.test.ts
index da02984e8b8..4cd8810ad6b 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/rpc/methods/orchestration/worker/manual-dispatch-observation.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/rpc/methods/orchestration/worker/manual-dispatch-observation.test.ts
@@ -18,11 +18,16 @@ describe('manual Dispatch observation', () => {
     vi.spyOn(runtime, 'getTerminalPaneKey').mockImplementation((handle) =>
       handle === 'term_coord' ? coordinatorPaneKey : workerPaneKey
     )
-    vi.spyOn(runtime, 'getOrchestrationDispatchAuthority').mockReturnValue({
-      terminalHandle: 'term_worker',
-      paneKey: workerPaneKey,
-      processIncarnation: 'runtime_test:term_worker:1'
-    } as never)
+    // Authority is per handle in the real runtime; a flat mock would give the coordinator the worker's pane.
+    vi.spyOn(runtime, 'getOrchestrationDispatchAuthority').mockImplementation(
+      (handle) =>
+        ({
+          terminalHandle: handle,
+          paneKey: handle === 'term_coord' ? coordinatorPaneKey : workerPaneKey,
+          processIncarnation:
+            handle === 'term_coord' ? 'runtime_test:term_coord:1' : 'runtime_test:term_worker:1'
+        }) as never
+    )
     vi.spyOn(runtime, 'isTerminalRunningAgent').mockResolvedValue(true)
     vi.spyOn(runtime, 'sendTerminalAgentPrompt').mockResolvedValue({
       handle: 'term_worker',
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/rpc/methods/orchestration/worker/worker-start-terminal-target.test.ts b/src/main/runtime/rpc/methods/orchestration/worker/worker-start-terminal-target.test.ts
index 382c9de8b0d..b2627bd13d3 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/rpc/methods/orchestration/worker/worker-start-terminal-target.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/rpc/methods/orchestration/worker/worker-start-terminal-target.test.ts
@@ -114,6 +114,39 @@ describe('orchestration.dispatch --to the caller', () => {
     expect(harness.runtime.sendTerminalAgentPrompt).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
   })
 
+  // The rejection for a missing agent tells the caller to dispatch without --inject, which the
+  // coordinator guard forbids; the self-target answer must not depend on agent presence.
+  it.each([
+    ['the coordinator handle', 'term_coord'],
+    ['an alias of the coordinator pane', 'term_coord_alias']
+  ])('refuses %s even when no agent is detected', async (_label, target) => {
+    vi.spyOn(harness.runtime, 'isTerminalRunningAgent').mockResolvedValue(false)
+    vi.spyOn(harness.runtime, 'getOrchestrationDispatchAuthority').mockImplementation(
+      (handle) =>
+        (handle === 'term_coord_alias'
+          ? {
+              terminalHandle: handle,
+              paneKey: harness.coordinatorPaneKey,
+              processIncarnation: 'runtime_test:term_coord:1'
+            }
+          : null) as never
+    )
+    const task = harness.db.createTask({
+      spec: `self inject ${target}`,
+      runId: harness.activeRunId
+    })
+
+    await expect(
+      harness.call('orchestration.dispatch', {
+        task: task.id,
+        from: 'term_coord',
+        to: target,
+        inject: true
+      })
+    ).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: 'terminal_is_coordinator' })
+    expect(harness.db.getDispatchContext(task.id)).toBeUndefined()
+  })
+
   it('still dispatches to a different pane', async () => {
     const task = harness.db.createTask({ spec: 'peer dispatch', runId: harness.activeRunId })
     const result = (await harness.call('orchestration.dispatch', {