diff --git a/app/api/admin/version/route.ts b/app/api/admin/version/route.ts
index 48655c049..2c63a7b33 100644
--- a/app/api/admin/version/route.ts
+++ b/app/api/admin/version/route.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import {
   loadState,
   checkOnce,
   effectiveEndpoint,
+  freshStatus,
   disabledByEnv,
   DEFAULT_VERSION_ENDPOINT,
 } from '@/lib/version-check';
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ export async function GET(request: NextRequest) {
         lastCheckedAt: state.lastCheckedAt,
         lastSuccessAt: state.lastSuccessAt,
         nextScheduledAt: state.nextScheduledAt,
-        status: state.status,
+        status: freshStatus(state),
       },
       { headers: { 'Cache-Control': 'no-store' } },
     );
diff --git a/app/api/system/update-status/route.ts b/app/api/system/update-status/route.ts
index fd25da803..ca2de80e1 100644
--- a/app/api/system/update-status/route.ts
+++ b/app/api/system/update-status/route.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { NextResponse } from 'next/server';
-import { checkOnce, loadState } from '@/lib/version-check';
+import { checkOnce, freshStatus, loadState } from '@/lib/version-check';
 
 // Public endpoint that returns the latest cached update status. Fed by the
 // background scheduler started in instrumentation.node.ts; in production we
@@ -16,9 +16,11 @@ export async function GET() {
   }
 
   const state = await loadState();
+  // freshStatus drops a status persisted by an earlier build - after an
+  // upgrade it would still advertise the version we just upgraded from (#913).
   return NextResponse.json(
     {
-      status: state.status,
+      status: freshStatus(state),
       lastCheckedAt: state.lastCheckedAt,
       lastSuccessAt: state.lastSuccessAt,
     },
diff --git a/lib/__tests__/version-check-upgrade.test.ts b/lib/__tests__/version-check-upgrade.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..452b8c78b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/__tests__/version-check-upgrade.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,154 @@
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { mkdtemp, readFile, rm, writeFile, mkdir } from 'node:fs/promises';
+import path from 'node:path';
+import os from 'node:os';
+
+import type { UpdateStatus, VersionCheckStateFile } from '@/lib/version-check/types';
+
+let dir: string;
+
+function statusFor(current: string, latest: string, updateAvailable: boolean): UpdateStatus {
+  return {
+    schema: 1,
+    current,
+    latest,
+    updateAvailable,
+    severity: updateAvailable ? 'normal' : 'none',
+    url: 'https://example.invalid/release',
+    advisory: null,
+    checkedAt: '2026-08-25T21:33:19.432Z',
+  };
+}
+
+async function writeStateFile(state: Partial<VersionCheckStateFile>): Promise<void> {
+  await mkdir(dir, { recursive: true });
+  await writeFile(path.join(dir, 'state.json'), JSON.stringify(state), 'utf8');
+}
+
+async function readStateFile(): Promise<VersionCheckStateFile> {
+  return JSON.parse(await readFile(path.join(dir, 'state.json'), 'utf8')) as VersionCheckStateFile;
+}
+
+describe('version-check across an upgrade (#913)', () => {
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    dir = await mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'bulwark-version-check-'));
+    process.env.VERSION_CHECK_DATA_DIR = dir;
+    process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_VERSION = '1.9.0';
+    delete process.env.BULWARK_UPDATE_CHECK;
+    process.env.BULWARK_UPDATE_CHECK_URL = 'https://version.invalid/';
+  });
+
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    const { stopScheduler } = await import('@/lib/version-check');
+    await stopScheduler();
+    vi.useRealTimers();
+    vi.resetModules();
+    vi.unstubAllGlobals();
+    delete process.env.VERSION_CHECK_DATA_DIR;
+    delete process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_VERSION;
+    delete process.env.BULWARK_UPDATE_CHECK_URL;
+    await rm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  });
+
+  describe('freshStatus', () => {
+    it('hides a status persisted by the previous version', async () => {
+      const { freshStatus } = await import('@/lib/version-check');
+      const state = {
+        endpoint: '', lastCheckedAt: null, lastSuccessAt: null, nextScheduledAt: null,
+        status: statusFor('1.7.8', '1.9.0', true),
+      } satisfies VersionCheckStateFile;
+      expect(freshStatus(state)).toBeNull();
+    });
+
+    it('keeps a status written by the running version', async () => {
+      const { freshStatus } = await import('@/lib/version-check');
+      const status = statusFor('1.9.0', '1.9.0', false);
+      const state = {
+        endpoint: '', lastCheckedAt: null, lastSuccessAt: null, nextScheduledAt: null, status,
+      } satisfies VersionCheckStateFile;
+      expect(freshStatus(state)).toBe(status);
+    });
+
+    it('keeps the status when the running version is unknown', async () => {
+      delete process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_VERSION;
+      const { freshStatus } = await import('@/lib/version-check');
+      const status = statusFor('1.7.8', '1.9.0', true);
+      const state = {
+        endpoint: '', lastCheckedAt: null, lastSuccessAt: null, nextScheduledAt: null, status,
+      } satisfies VersionCheckStateFile;
+      expect(freshStatus(state)).toBe(status);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('startScheduler', () => {
+    it('drops the old status and checks promptly instead of honoring the old schedule', async () => {
+      // State left behind by 1.7.8, with its next check still ~55 min out.
+      const future = new Date(Date.now() + 55 * 60 * 1000).toISOString();
+      await writeStateFile({
+        endpoint: 'https://version.invalid/',
+        lastCheckedAt: '2026-08-25T21:33:19.432Z',
+        lastSuccessAt: '2026-08-25T21:33:19.432Z',
+        nextScheduledAt: future,
+        status: statusFor('1.7.8', '1.9.0', true),
+      });
+
+      const { startScheduler } = await import('@/lib/version-check');
+      await startScheduler();
+
+      const after = await readStateFile();
+      expect(after.status).toBeNull();
+      // Rescheduled to the ~30s startup delay, not the inherited 55 minutes.
+      const inMs = new Date(after.nextScheduledAt!).getTime() - Date.now();
+      expect(inMs).toBeLessThan(60_000);
+    });
+
+    it('still honors a future schedule written by the running version', async () => {
+      const future = new Date(Date.now() + 55 * 60 * 1000).toISOString();
+      await writeStateFile({
+        endpoint: 'https://version.invalid/',
+        lastCheckedAt: '2026-08-25T21:33:19.432Z',
+        lastSuccessAt: '2026-08-25T21:33:19.432Z',
+        nextScheduledAt: future,
+        status: statusFor('1.9.0', '1.9.0', false),
+      });
+
+      const { startScheduler } = await import('@/lib/version-check');
+      await startScheduler();
+
+      const after = await readStateFile();
+      expect(after.status).not.toBeNull();
+      const inMs = new Date(after.nextScheduledAt!).getTime() - Date.now();
+      expect(inMs).toBeGreaterThan(50 * 60 * 1000);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('selectBanner', () => {
+    it('does not show a banner for a status cached by the previous version', async () => {
+      const { selectBanner, selectHasUpdate } = await import('@/stores/update-store');
+      const state = {
+        status: statusFor('1.7.8', '1.9.0', true),
+        loading: false,
+        lastFetchedAt: null,
+        fetchStatus: async () => {},
+        startPolling: () => {},
+        stopPolling: () => {},
+      };
+      expect(selectBanner(state)).toBeNull();
+      expect(selectHasUpdate(state)).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    it('still shows a banner for a status from the running version', async () => {
+      const { selectBanner, selectHasUpdate } = await import('@/stores/update-store');
+      const state = {
+        status: statusFor('1.9.0', '1.9.1', true),
+        loading: false,
+        lastFetchedAt: null,
+        fetchStatus: async () => {},
+        startPolling: () => {},
+        stopPolling: () => {},
+      };
+      expect(selectBanner(state)?.severity).toBe('normal');
+      expect(selectHasUpdate(state)).toBe(true);
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/lib/version-check/index.ts b/lib/version-check/index.ts
index 9b7ec0844..efc5e213c 100644
--- a/lib/version-check/index.ts
+++ b/lib/version-check/index.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 export { startScheduler, stopScheduler, checkOnce } from './sender';
-export { loadState, saveState, effectiveEndpoint, disabledByEnv } from './state';
+export {
+  loadState, saveState, effectiveEndpoint, disabledByEnv,
+  getCurrentVersion, isStatusStale, freshStatus,
+} from './state';
 export { fetchStatus, parseStatus } from './fetcher';
 export type {
   UpdateStatus, UpdateSeverity, VersionCheckStateFile,
diff --git a/lib/version-check/sender.ts b/lib/version-check/sender.ts
index 9fa12a6a4..49d3fe767 100644
--- a/lib/version-check/sender.ts
+++ b/lib/version-check/sender.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 import { logger } from '@/lib/logger';
-import { disabledByEnv, effectiveEndpoint, loadState, saveState } from './state';
+import {
+  disabledByEnv, effectiveEndpoint, getCurrentVersion, isStatusStale, loadState, saveState,
+} from './state';
 import { fetchStatus } from './fetcher';
 import type { UpdateStatus } from './types';
 
@@ -15,10 +17,6 @@ function jitteredDelay(base: number): number {
   return Math.max(60_000, base + j);
 }
 
-function getCurrentVersion(): string {
-  return (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_VERSION || '').trim();
-}
-
 export async function checkOnce(opts?: { reason?: string }): Promise<{
   ok: boolean;
   status?: UpdateStatus;
@@ -82,11 +80,26 @@ export async function startScheduler(): Promise<void> {
     logger.info('version-check: scheduler not started (no endpoint)');
     return;
   }
+  // State carried over from a previous build: the cached status is about a
+  // version we no longer run, and its schedule would keep that stale answer
+  // (e.g. "update available" for the version we just upgraded from) on screen
+  // for up to an hour. Drop it and check promptly instead (#913).
+  const stale = isStatusStale(state.status);
+  if (stale) {
+    logger.info('version-check: discarding status from a previous version', {
+      cached: state.status?.current ?? null,
+      running: getCurrentVersion(),
+    });
+    state.status = null;
+    state.nextScheduledAt = null;
+    await saveState(state);
+  }
+
   // If a previous schedule was still in the future, honor it (don't blast on
   // every restart). Cap at one hour so a wildly-in-the-future timestamp can't
   // permanently silence the check.
   let delay = FIRST_DELAY_MS;
-  if (state.nextScheduledAt) {
+  if (!stale && state.nextScheduledAt) {
     const remaining = new Date(state.nextScheduledAt).getTime() - Date.now();
     if (remaining > 0) delay = Math.min(remaining, HOUR_MS + JITTER_MS);
   }
diff --git a/lib/version-check/state.ts b/lib/version-check/state.ts
index b6de00371..1797cb3e9 100644
--- a/lib/version-check/state.ts
+++ b/lib/version-check/state.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { readFile, writeFile, mkdir, rename } from 'node:fs/promises';
 import { existsSync } from 'node:fs';
 import path from 'node:path';
 import { logger } from '@/lib/logger';
-import type { VersionCheckStateFile } from './types';
+import type { UpdateStatus, VersionCheckStateFile } from './types';
 import { DEFAULT_VERSION_ENDPOINT } from './types';
 
 function getDir(): string {
@@ -60,3 +60,24 @@ export function effectiveEndpoint(state: VersionCheckStateFile): string {
   if (envUrl !== undefined) return envUrl.trim();
   return state.endpoint || DEFAULT_VERSION_ENDPOINT;
 }
+
+export function getCurrentVersion(): string {
+  return (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_VERSION || '').trim();
+}
+
+// A persisted status describes the build that was running when it was written.
+// After an upgrade it is stale by definition - it can keep claiming "update
+// available" for a version we no longer run - so nothing may surface it until
+// the next check refreshes it (#913). If the running version is unknown we
+// can't tell, so we leave the status alone rather than blanking the banner.
+export function isStatusStale(
+  status: UpdateStatus | null,
+  current: string = getCurrentVersion(),
+): boolean {
+  if (!status || !current) return false;
+  return status.current !== current;
+}
+
+export function freshStatus(state: VersionCheckStateFile): UpdateStatus | null {
+  return isStatusStale(state.status) ? null : state.status;
+}
diff --git a/stores/update-store.ts b/stores/update-store.ts
index 7eeb87735..3db57e14c 100644
--- a/stores/update-store.ts
+++ b/stores/update-store.ts
@@ -79,9 +79,19 @@ export interface BannerInfo {
   advisory: string | null;
 }
 
+// A status whose `current` isn't the build we're running was cached by a
+// previous version and can't be trusted - after an upgrade it still reports
+// the old version as outdated (#913). The server drops those too; this is the
+// last line of defence against a response cached in the browser.
+function isStale(st: UpdateStatus): boolean {
+  const running = (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_VERSION || '').trim();
+  return !!running && st.current !== running;
+}
+
 export function selectBanner(s: UpdateState): BannerInfo | null {
   const st = s.status;
   if (!st || !st.updateAvailable) return null;
+  if (isStale(st)) return null;
   if (st.severity === 'none' || st.severity === 'unknown') return null;
 
   if (st.severity === 'security') {
@@ -114,5 +124,7 @@ export function selectBanner(s: UpdateState): BannerInfo | null {
 // Used by the admin shield + admin sidebar to show a dot when an update is
 // available. Mirrors selectBanner's "should we show something" logic.
 export function selectHasUpdate(s: UpdateState): boolean {
-  return !!s.status?.updateAvailable && s.status.severity !== 'unknown';
+  const st = s.status;
+  if (!st || !st.updateAvailable || st.severity === 'unknown') return false;
+  return !isStale(st);
 }