diff --git a/src/main/persistence/moving-wsl-projects/wsl-move-manifest-export.test.ts b/src/main/persistence/moving-wsl-projects/wsl-move-manifest-export.test.ts
index 819a91abd2d..3308a5f5c67 100644
--- a/src/main/persistence/moving-wsl-projects/wsl-move-manifest-export.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/persistence/moving-wsl-projects/wsl-move-manifest-export.test.ts
@@ -195,6 +195,19 @@ describe('exportWslMoveManifest', () => {
     expect(result.manifest.payload.repositories.map((row) => row.path)).toEqual(['/home/me/app'])
   })
 
+  it("never signs this desktop's retained mark into the manifest", () => {
+    const state = sourceState()
+    const mark = { migrationId: 'move-0', environmentId: 'wsl:Ubuntu' }
+    state.repos = state.repos.map((row) =>
+      row.id === 'app' ? { ...row, orcadRetained: mark } : row
+    )
+    const store = storeFor(state)
+    const { manifest } = exportWslMoveManifest(store, REQUEST)
+    expect(manifest.payload.repositories.map((row) => row.orcadRetained)).toEqual([undefined])
+    // The stored row keeps its mark.
+    expect(store.getRepos().find((row) => row.id === 'app')?.orcadRetained).toEqual(mark)
+  })
+
   it('refuses with a reason instead of dropping state the move cannot carry', () => {
     const state = sourceState()
     const record: SleepingAgentSessionRecord = {
diff --git a/src/main/persistence/moving-wsl-projects/wsl-move-manifest-export.ts b/src/main/persistence/moving-wsl-projects/wsl-move-manifest-export.ts
index 2b0beec45e5..580b319fd15 100644
--- a/src/main/persistence/moving-wsl-projects/wsl-move-manifest-export.ts
+++ b/src/main/persistence/moving-wsl-projects/wsl-move-manifest-export.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import {
   ORCAD_MIGRATION_MANIFEST_VERSION,
   parseOrcadMigrationManifest
 } from '../../../shared/orcad-migration/orcad-migration-manifest-validation'
+import { withoutOrcadRetainedMarker } from '../../../shared/orcad-retained-marker'
 import type { ProjectGroup } from '../../../shared/project-group-types'
 import type { Repo } from '../../../shared/repo-types'
 import { parseWorkspaceKey } from '../../../shared/workspace-scope'
@@ -99,9 +100,10 @@ export function exportWslMoveManifest(
 ): WslMoveManifestExport {
   const blockers: string[] = []
   const missing: string[] = []
+  // The retained mark is this desktop's record; the host must never receive it.
   const repos = pickLocalRows(store.getRepos(), request.repoIds, isLocalRepo, (id) =>
     missing.push(id)
-  )
+  ).map(withoutOrcadRetainedMarker)
   const allGroups = store.getProjectGroups()
   const allFolders = store.getFolderWorkspaces()
   const folderWorkspaces = pickLocalRows(
@@ -113,7 +115,7 @@ export function exportWslMoveManifest(
         workspace.id
       ).kind === 'local',
     (id) => missing.push(id)
-  )
+  ).map(withoutOrcadRetainedMarker)
   // The signed scope must name exactly the rows it carries: a stale plan is replanned, not signed.
   if (missing.length > 0) {
     throw new WslMoveScopeChangedError(missing)