diff --git a/src/shared/orchestration-fleet-projection.test.ts b/src/shared/orchestration-fleet-projection.test.ts
index 780ca86c734..67710929df6 100644
--- a/src/shared/orchestration-fleet-projection.test.ts
+++ b/src/shared/orchestration-fleet-projection.test.ts
@@ -420,6 +420,43 @@ describe('fleet liveness and attention after a host verdict', () => {
     })
   })
 
+  it('refuses to certify a process_exited stage whose cause was never observed', () => {
+    const projected = projectOrchestrationFleet({
+      workers: [
+        worker('1', {
+          workerStage: 'process_exited',
+          workerState: 'failed',
+          terminationReason: 'unknown'
+        })
+      ],
+      statuses: [],
+      now: 10_000
+    })
+    expect(projected.workers[0]!.liveness).toEqual({
+      verdict: 'unverifiable',
+      reason: 'missing_status'
+    })
+    expect(projected.workers[0]!.nextAction.kind).toBe('inspect')
+  })
+
+  it('certifies a process_exited stage whose exit was observed', () => {
+    const projected = projectOrchestrationFleet({
+      workers: [
+        worker('1', {
+          workerStage: 'process_exited',
+          workerState: 'failed',
+          terminationReason: 'exited'
+        })
+      ],
+      statuses: [],
+      now: 10_000
+    })
+    expect(projected.workers[0]!.liveness).toEqual({
+      verdict: 'exited',
+      source: 'execution_host'
+    })
+  })
+
   it('keeps an unverifiable worker on inspect: absence is never authority to stop', () => {
     const now = 10 * AGENT_STATUS_STALE_AFTER_MS
     const projected = projectOrchestrationFleet({
diff --git a/src/shared/orchestration-fleet-worker-projection.ts b/src/shared/orchestration-fleet-worker-projection.ts
index cfcc4963876..e5ce3254351 100644
--- a/src/shared/orchestration-fleet-worker-projection.ts
+++ b/src/shared/orchestration-fleet-worker-projection.ts
@@ -26,7 +26,10 @@ const SETTLED_WORKER_STATES = new Set(['succeeded', 'failed', 'stopped', 'abando
  *  `unknown` is a death certificate — regardless of which state the worker settled into. */
 function hasCertifiedExit(worker: FleetLivenessSubject): boolean {
   return (
-    worker.workerStage === 'process_exited' ||
+    // `process_exited` is written from the same cause as the reason beside it, and
+    // `unknown` there means a stop was issued and no exit was ever observed. A null
+    // reason is a pre-v29 row whose stage write was the only exit record.
+    (worker.workerStage === 'process_exited' && worker.terminationReason !== 'unknown') ||
     worker.terminationReason === 'operator_close' ||
     worker.terminationReason === 'signaled' ||
     worker.terminationReason === 'exited'