diff --git a/src/shared/runtime-environment-authority-binding.ts b/src/shared/runtime-environment-authority-binding.ts
index 79b6e114957..5c27207fe12 100644
--- a/src/shared/runtime-environment-authority-binding.ts
+++ b/src/shared/runtime-environment-authority-binding.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 import type { KnownRuntimeEnvironment, PublicKnownRuntimeEnvironment } from './runtime-environments'
 
-/** Everything an SSH access operation was authorized against; any change invalidates the operation. */
+/**
+ * Everything an SSH access operation was authorized against; any change invalidates the operation.
+ * Not runtimeId: orcad mints one at every start, so it changes under a linked server (#32957).
+ */
 export function runtimeEnvironmentSshAccessBinding(
   environment: KnownRuntimeEnvironment | PublicKnownRuntimeEnvironment,
   ignoreIntent = false
@@ -8,7 +11,6 @@ export function runtimeEnvironmentSshAccessBinding(
   return {
     createdAt: environment.createdAt,
     pairingRevision: environment.pairingRevision ?? environment.createdAt,
-    runtimeId: environment.runtimeId,
     pairedDeviceId: environment.pairedDeviceId,
     preferredEndpointId: environment.preferredEndpointId,
     endpoints: environment.endpoints,
diff --git a/src/shared/runtime-environment-sidecar.ts b/src/shared/runtime-environment-sidecar.ts
index 6a9a6352b64..0d2b19a61a0 100644
--- a/src/shared/runtime-environment-sidecar.ts
+++ b/src/shared/runtime-environment-sidecar.ts
@@ -35,7 +35,8 @@ const SidecarEntrySchema = z.object({
   binding: SidecarBindingSchema,
   // The store state a two-file rebind is moving to; the entry stays current through a crash between them.
   pendingBinding: SidecarBindingSchema.optional(),
-  // The runtime a link verified; it outlives the link like a learned runtimeId would.
+  // The runtime a link verified, used only until the store learns one. orcad mints a new id at
+  // every start, so a different stored id is a restart, not a different server (#32957).
   runtimeId: z.string().min(1).optional(),
   sshAccess: SidecarSshAccessSchema.optional(),
   pendingSshAccessOperation: RuntimeSshAccessOperationSchema.optional(),
@@ -145,13 +146,6 @@ export function overlayRuntimeEnvironmentSidecar(
   }
   const basePairingRevision = environment.pairingRevision ?? environment.createdAt
   const access = entry.sshAccess
-  if (
-    entry.runtimeId !== undefined &&
-    environment.runtimeId !== null &&
-    environment.runtimeId !== entry.runtimeId
-  ) {
-    return base
-  }
   const pairingRevision = Math.max(
     basePairingRevision,
     entry.pairingRevisionFloor ?? basePairingRevision
diff --git a/src/shared/runtime-environment-ssh-access-store.test.ts b/src/shared/runtime-environment-ssh-access-store.test.ts
index 025fc3e4936..9524712f0fc 100644
--- a/src/shared/runtime-environment-ssh-access-store.test.ts
+++ b/src/shared/runtime-environment-ssh-access-store.test.ts
@@ -58,11 +58,11 @@ describe('independent paired runtime SSH access persistence', () => {
     })
   }
 
-  function link(expectedEnvironment = seed()) {
+  function link(expectedEnvironment = seed(), verifiedRuntimeId = 'host-runtime') {
     return linkVerifiedRuntimeEnvironmentSshAccess(userDataPath, {
       expectedEnvironment: prepare(expectedEnvironment),
       requestId: 'link-request',
-      verifiedRuntimeId: 'host-runtime',
+      verifiedRuntimeId,
       verifiedConnection: pairedRuntimeConnectionFromOffer(verifiedPairing),
       tunnel,
       now: 90
@@ -105,6 +105,67 @@ describe('independent paired runtime SSH access persistence', () => {
     expect(listEnvironments(userDataPath)).toEqual([unlinked])
   })
 
+  it('keeps SSH access across a server restart and relinks after an unlink (#32957)', () => {
+    const linked = link()
+    markEnvironmentUsed(userDataPath, linked.id, { runtimeId: 'restarted-runtime' })
+    const restarted = listEnvironments(userDataPath)[0]!
+    expect(restarted.runtimeId).toBe('restarted-runtime')
+    expect(restarted.sshAccess).toEqual(linked.sshAccess)
+    expect(getPreferredPairingOffer(restarted)).toEqual(verifiedPairing)
+
+    const unlinked = unlink(restarted)
+    markEnvironmentUsed(userDataPath, unlinked.id, { runtimeId: 'restarted-again' })
+    const relinked = link(listEnvironments(userDataPath)[0], 'restarted-again')
+    expect(relinked.sshAccess?.requestId).toBe('link-request')
+    expect(listEnvironments(userDataPath)).toEqual([relinked])
+  })
+
+  it('lets an unlink or a lost-completion retry read before a server restart still finish', () => {
+    const prepared = prepare()
+    const args = {
+      expectedEnvironment: prepared,
+      requestId: 'link-request',
+      verifiedRuntimeId: 'host-runtime',
+      verifiedConnection: pairedRuntimeConnectionFromOffer(verifiedPairing),
+      tunnel
+    }
+    const linked = linkVerifiedRuntimeEnvironmentSshAccess(userDataPath, args)
+    markEnvironmentUsed(userDataPath, linked.id, { runtimeId: 'restarted-runtime' })
+    expect(linkVerifiedRuntimeEnvironmentSshAccess(userDataPath, args).sshAccess).toEqual(
+      linked.sshAccess
+    )
+
+    const unlinking = prepareRuntimeEnvironmentSshAccessUnlink(userDataPath, {
+      expectedEnvironment: linked,
+      requestId: 'unlink-request'
+    })
+    markEnvironmentUsed(userDataPath, linked.id, { runtimeId: 'restarted-again' })
+    const unlinked = completeRuntimeEnvironmentSshAccessUnlink(userDataPath, {
+      expectedEnvironment: unlinking,
+      requestId: 'unlink-request'
+    })
+    expect(unlinked.sshAccess).toBeUndefined()
+    expect(unlinked.pendingSshAccessOperation).toBeUndefined()
+  })
+
+  it('still refuses a new paired device on a linked server, and a new runtime during a link', () => {
+    const linked = link()
+    expect(() =>
+      markEnvironmentUsed(userDataPath, linked.id, {
+        runtimeId: 'restarted-runtime',
+        pairedDeviceId: 'another-client',
+        pairingDeviceToken: pairing.deviceToken
+      })
+    ).toThrow('cannot change')
+    expect(listEnvironments(userDataPath)).toEqual([linked])
+
+    const pending = prepare(unlink(linked))
+    expect(() =>
+      markEnvironmentUsed(userDataPath, pending.id, { runtimeId: 'restarted-runtime' })
+    ).toThrow('cannot change')
+    expect(listEnvironments(userDataPath)).toEqual([pending])
+  })
+
   it('refuses a link whose verification raced with re-pairing', () => {
     const original = seed()
     const replaced = updateEnvironmentFromPairingCode(userDataPath, original.id, {
diff --git a/src/shared/runtime-environment-ssh-access-store.ts b/src/shared/runtime-environment-ssh-access-store.ts
index f20d3b8d5a0..6b91c53bddf 100644
--- a/src/shared/runtime-environment-ssh-access-store.ts
+++ b/src/shared/runtime-environment-ssh-access-store.ts
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ export function linkVerifiedRuntimeEnvironmentSshAccess(
   const views = readEnvironmentStore(userDataPath).environments
   const completed = views.find((entry) => entry.id === args.expectedEnvironment.id)
   if (completed?.sshAccess?.requestId && completed.sshAccess.requestId === args.requestId) {
-    return requireMatchingCompletedLink(completed, args)
+    return requireMatchingCompletedLink(completed, linkedRuntimeId(userDataPath, completed), args)
   }
   const context = readAccessContext(userDataPath, args.expectedEnvironment)
   const existing = context.view
@@ -198,6 +198,7 @@ export function cancelRuntimeEnvironmentSshAccessLink(
 /** A retried completion must name exactly the link it already completed. */
 function requireMatchingCompletedLink(
   completed: KnownRuntimeEnvironment,
+  linkedRuntime: string | undefined,
   args: Parameters<typeof linkVerifiedRuntimeEnvironmentSshAccess>[1]
 ): KnownRuntimeEnvironment {
   const access = completed.sshAccess!
@@ -205,7 +206,6 @@ function requireMatchingCompletedLink(
   const prior = expectedIntent
     ? {
         ...completed,
-        runtimeId: args.expectedEnvironment.runtimeId,
         pairingRevision: args.expectedEnvironment.pairingRevision,
         sshAccess: undefined,
         connectionDependency: undefined,
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ function requireMatchingCompletedLink(
   requireUnchangedEnvironment([prior], args.expectedEnvironment)
   const offer = getPreferredPairingOffer(completed)
   if (
-    completed.runtimeId !== args.verifiedRuntimeId ||
+    linkedRuntime !== args.verifiedRuntimeId ||
     offer.endpoint !== args.verifiedConnection.endpoint ||
     offer.deviceToken !== args.verifiedConnection.credential.deviceToken ||
     offer.publicKeyB64 !== args.verifiedConnection.hostPublicKeyB64 ||
@@ -236,6 +236,17 @@ function requireMatchingCompletedLink(
   return completed
 }
 
+/** The runtime the link verified; the store's runtimeId moves on at every server restart. */
+function linkedRuntimeId(
+  userDataPath: string,
+  completed: KnownRuntimeEnvironment
+): string | undefined {
+  const persisted = readPersistedEnvironmentStore(userDataPath).environments.find(
+    (entry) => entry.id === completed.id
+  )
+  return persisted && readCurrentRuntimeEnvironmentSidecarEntry(userDataPath, persisted)?.runtimeId
+}
+
 function readAccessContext(
   userDataPath: string,
   expected: KnownRuntimeEnvironment,
diff --git a/src/shared/runtime-environment-store.ts b/src/shared/runtime-environment-store.ts
index c0a7d1c1c47..9f991154c69 100644
--- a/src/shared/runtime-environment-store.ts
+++ b/src/shared/runtime-environment-store.ts
@@ -286,7 +286,9 @@ export function markEnvironmentUsed(
   }
   if (runtimeIdChanged || pairedDeviceIdChanged) {
     const current = resolveEnvironmentFromStore(readEnvironmentStore(userDataPath), environment.id)
-    if (current.sshAccess || current.pendingSshAccessOperation) {
+    // orcad mints a runtimeId per start; only a pending link must keep the runtime it verifies.
+    const intent = current.pendingSshAccessOperation
+    if (intent?.operation === 'link' || (pairedDeviceIdChanged && (current.sshAccess || intent))) {
       throw new RuntimeEnvironmentStoreError(
         'invalid_argument',
         'SSH access operation cannot change the paired runtime identity.'