diff --git a/src/main/macos-tcc-prompt-notice.test.ts b/src/main/macos-tcc-prompt-notice.test.ts
index a9c80ba096c..1c268a7e240 100644
--- a/src/main/macos-tcc-prompt-notice.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/macos-tcc-prompt-notice.test.ts
@@ -302,32 +302,43 @@ describe('tcc prompt notice threshold', () => {
     }
   })
 
-  it('delivers a tally persisted below the old threshold without respawning the watcher', () => {
+  it.each([
+    { promptCount: 2, notified: false },
+    { promptCount: 1, notified: true }
+  ])('requires a fresh detection for a legacy tally: $promptCount/$notified', (persisted) => {
     const platform = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(process, 'platform')
     Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', { configurable: true, value: 'darwin' })
-    readTallyFile.mockReturnValue(
-      JSON.stringify({ promptCount: 2, notified: false, dismissed: false })
-    )
+    readTallyFile.mockReturnValue(JSON.stringify({ ...persisted, dismissed: false }))
     try {
       const mainWindow = createWindowStub()
       initTccPromptNotice(mainWindow as never)
 
-      expect(watchStart).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+      expect(watchStart).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+      expect(mainWindow.webContents.send).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+      expect(consumePendingTccPromptNotice(1)).toBeNull()
+
+      watchOptions[0].onPrompt()
+
       expect(mainWindow.webContents.send).toHaveBeenCalledWith('macosTccPrompts:threshold', {
-        promptCount: 2
+        promptCount: 1
       })
-      expect(mainWindow.once).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
-      expect(consumePendingTccPromptNotice(1)).toEqual({ claimId: 1, promptCount: 2 })
+      expect(watchStop).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+      expect(consumePendingTccPromptNotice(1)).toEqual({ claimId: 1, promptCount: 1 })
     } finally {
       Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', platform!)
     }
   })
 
-  it('replays a legacy optimistic acknowledgement without respawning the watcher', () => {
+  it('replays an unclosed notice from the new delivery contract', () => {
     const platform = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(process, 'platform')
     Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', { configurable: true, value: 'darwin' })
     readTallyFile.mockReturnValue(
-      JSON.stringify({ promptCount: 1, notified: true, dismissed: false })
+      JSON.stringify({
+        promptCount: 1,
+        notified: false,
+        dismissed: false,
+        acknowledgedAfterClose: false
+      })
     )
     try {
       const mainWindow = createWindowStub()
diff --git a/src/main/macos-tcc-prompt-notice.ts b/src/main/macos-tcc-prompt-notice.ts
index b8b893314be..9d7dea359d0 100644
--- a/src/main/macos-tcc-prompt-notice.ts
+++ b/src/main/macos-tcc-prompt-notice.ts
@@ -57,6 +57,10 @@ function loadTally(): TccPromptTally {
   try {
     const parsed = JSON.parse(readFileSync(tallyPath(), 'utf-8')) as Partial<TccPromptTally>
     const dismissed = parsed.dismissed === true
+    if (!dismissed && typeof parsed.acknowledgedAfterClose !== 'boolean') {
+      // Why: a legacy tally only proves a past prompt, not that Full Disk Access is still missing.
+      return { ...EMPTY_TALLY }
+    }
     const acknowledgedAfterClose = parsed.acknowledgedAfterClose === true
     return {
       promptCount: typeof parsed.promptCount === 'number' ? parsed.promptCount : 0,