diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection-direct-ssh-reattach-retry.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection-direct-ssh-reattach-retry.test.ts
index eb6790e1950..d6b97448605 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection-direct-ssh-reattach-retry.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection-direct-ssh-reattach-retry.test.ts
@@ -276,6 +276,77 @@ describe('connectPanePty', () => {
     )
   })
 
+  it('does not replace a live SSH session when only output delivery cannot resume', async () => {
+    const { connectPanePty } = await import('./pty-connection')
+    const restoredPtyId = toAppSshPtyId('target-a', 'pty-live')
+    const transport = createMockTransport()
+    transport.connect.mockImplementationOnce(async (options) => {
+      options.callbacks?.onError?.(`SSH_PTY_RESTORE_REQUIRED: ${restoredPtyId}`)
+      return { id: restoredPtyId, deliveryUnresumable: true }
+    })
+    transportFactoryQueue.push(transport)
+    const pendingRetry = {
+      attemptId: 'attempt-delivery-unresumable',
+      authority: {
+        targetId: 'target-a',
+        providerEpoch: 'epoch-1',
+        connectionGeneration: 3
+      },
+      tabGeneration: 7,
+      startedAt: 1
+    }
+    const settleDirectSshPaneRetry = vi.fn()
+    const deps = createDeps()
+    mockStoreState = {
+      ...mockStoreState,
+      tabsByWorktree: {
+        'wt-1': [{ id: 'tab-1', ptyId: restoredPtyId, generation: 7 }]
+      },
+      ptyIdsByTabId: { 'tab-1': [restoredPtyId] },
+      repos: [{ id: 'repo1', connectionId: 'target-a', displayName: 'orca' }],
+      sshConnectionStates: new Map([
+        [
+          'target-a',
+          {
+            targetId: 'target-a',
+            status: 'connected',
+            providerEpoch: 'epoch-1',
+            connectionGeneration: 3
+          }
+        ]
+      ]),
+      directSshPaneRetryByTabId: { 'tab-1': pendingRetry },
+      settleDirectSshPaneRetry
+    }
+
+    connectPanePty(
+      createPane(1) as never,
+      createManager(1) as never,
+      createDeps({
+        ...deps,
+        restoredLeafId: LEAF_1,
+        restoredPtyIdByLeafId: { [LEAF_1]: restoredPtyId }
+      }) as never
+    )
+    await flushAsyncTicks(12)
+
+    expect(transport.connect).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    expect(deps.clearExitedPanePtyLayoutBinding).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(deps.clearTabPtyId).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(deps.updateTabPtyId).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(deps.onPtyErrorRef.current).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      1,
+      `SSH_PTY_RESTORE_REQUIRED: ${restoredPtyId}`
+    )
+    expect(settleDirectSshPaneRetry).toHaveBeenCalledExactlyOnceWith({
+      status: 'failed',
+      tabId: 'tab-1',
+      attemptId: pendingRetry.attemptId,
+      authority: pendingRetry.authority,
+      tabGeneration: pendingRetry.tabGeneration
+    })
+  })
+
   it('rejects expired reattach state after its direct SSH retry lease is revoked', async () => {
     const { connectPanePty } = await import('./pty-connection')
     const restoredPtyId = toAppSshPtyId('target-a', 'pty-stale-reattach')
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection.ts
index 1010bb579d8..96418ab44cb 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection.ts
@@ -8104,6 +8104,11 @@ export function connectPanePty(
         // Why: an obsolete reattach must stop consuming frames without killing the durable PTY a newer lease may adopt.
         return false
       }
+      if (connectResult?.deliveryUnresumable) {
+        // Why: replacing a live PTY after output recovery fails would duplicate the remote agent.
+        settleDirectSshPaneRetryAttempt(directSshRetryAttempt, 'failed')
+        return false
+      }
       const ptyId =
         connectResult?.id ?? (typeof result === 'string' ? result : transport.getPtyId())
       if (!ptyId) {
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport-spawn-errors.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport-spawn-errors.test.ts
index 32038c130ba..a96cf226d1d 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport-spawn-errors.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport-spawn-errors.test.ts
@@ -192,6 +192,42 @@ describe('createIpcPtyTransport', () => {
     })
   })
 
+  it('keeps a live SSH session distinct when only output delivery cannot resume', async () => {
+    const { createIpcPtyTransport } = await import('./pty-transport')
+    const spawnMock = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockRejectedValue(new Error('SSH_PTY_RESTORE_REQUIRED: ssh:ssh-1@@pty-live'))
+    ;(globalThis as { window: typeof window }).window = {
+      ...originalWindow,
+      api: {
+        ...originalWindow?.api,
+        pty: {
+          ...originalWindow?.api?.pty,
+          spawn: spawnMock,
+          write: vi.fn(),
+          resize: vi.fn(),
+          kill: vi.fn(),
+          onData: vi.fn(() => () => {}),
+          onReplay: vi.fn(() => () => {}),
+          onExit: vi.fn(() => () => {})
+        }
+      }
+    } as unknown as typeof window
+
+    const onError = vi.fn()
+    const result = await createIpcPtyTransport({ connectionId: 'ssh-1' }).connect({
+      url: '',
+      sessionId: 'ssh:ssh-1@@pty-live',
+      callbacks: { onError }
+    })
+
+    expect(onError).toHaveBeenCalledWith('SSH_PTY_RESTORE_REQUIRED: ssh:ssh-1@@pty-live')
+    expect(result).toEqual({
+      id: 'ssh:ssh-1@@pty-live',
+      deliveryUnresumable: true
+    })
+  })
+
   it('surfaces terminal session state save failures without the Electron IPC wrapper', async () => {
     const { createIpcPtyTransport } = await import('./pty-transport')
     const wrappedMessage = `Error invoking remote method 'pty:spawn': Error: ${createTerminalSessionStateSaveFailureMessage()}`
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport-types.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport-types.ts
index 57e0c9e2e4e..9eb6c21f8f4 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport-types.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport-types.ts
@@ -89,6 +89,8 @@ export type PtyConnectResult = {
   snapshotSeq?: number
   isAlternateScreen?: boolean
   sessionExpired?: boolean
+  /** The host confirmed the session live but could not reopen its output delivery. */
+  deliveryUnresumable?: true
   coldRestore?: { scrollback: string; cwd: string; cols?: number; rows?: number }
   replay?: string
   startupCwdFallback?: { kind: 'worktree'; cwd: string }
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport.ts
index 9eddfae0155..6cbaada3446 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport.ts
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ export type {
 export { extractLastOscTitle } from '../../../../shared/agent-detection'
 
 const SSH_SESSION_EXPIRED_ERROR = 'SSH_SESSION_EXPIRED'
+const SSH_PTY_RESTORE_REQUIRED_ERROR = 'SSH_PTY_RESTORE_REQUIRED'
 // Why: main rejects a session reattached under a different SSH connection with this phrase; treat as stale (spawn fresh), not a crash.
 const SSH_PTY_CONNECTION_MISMATCH_MARKER = 'belongs to SSH connection'
 const STALE_TITLE_TIMEOUT = 3000 // ms before stale working title is cleared
@@ -945,6 +946,17 @@ export function createIpcPtyTransport(opts: IpcPtyTransportOptions = {}): PtyTra
         return spawnResult.id
       } catch (err) {
         const msg = extractIpcErrorMessage(err, err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err))
+        if (
+          connectionId &&
+          options.sessionId &&
+          msg.includes(SSH_PTY_RESTORE_REQUIRED_ERROR)
+        ) {
+          storedCallbacks.onError?.(msg)
+          return {
+            id: options.sessionId,
+            deliveryUnresumable: true
+          } satisfies PtyConnectResult
+        }
         if (
           connectionId &&
           options.sessionId &&