diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/ResourceEditor.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/ResourceEditor.svelte
index 6460d8fbcc..ef1bf2b0a4 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/ResourceEditor.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/ResourceEditor.svelte
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@
 				if (persisted !== undefined && !deepEqual(persisted, s)) {
 					notifyRestoredFromLocal(false, true, {
 						onResetToDeployed: () => {
-							UserDraft.save('resource', initialPath ?? '', s, { workspace: ws })
+							UserDraft.discard('resource', initialPath ?? '', s, { workspace: ws })
 						}
 					})
 				}
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/VariableEditor.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/VariableEditor.svelte
index 8eaea0295d..a8e53b7e91 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/VariableEditor.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/VariableEditor.svelte
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@
 				if (persisted !== undefined && !deepEqual(persisted, s)) {
 					notifyRestoredFromLocal(false, true, {
 						onResetToDeployed: () => {
-							UserDraft.save('variable', p, s, { workspace: ws })
+							UserDraft.discard('variable', p, s, { workspace: ws })
 						}
 					})
 				}
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/svelte5Utils.svelte.ts b/frontend/src/lib/svelte5Utils.svelte.ts
index 0bbc68cef9..e3a927281a 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/svelte5Utils.svelte.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/svelte5Utils.svelte.ts
@@ -601,7 +601,7 @@ export function useLocalStorageValue<T>(
 		 */
 		transformBeforePersist?: (val: T) => T
 	}
-): { val: T } {
+): { val: T; skipNextWriteOnce(): void } {
 	const saveInitialValue = options?.saveInitialValue ?? true
 	const debounceMs = options?.debounce ?? 0
 	const transformBeforePersist = options?.transformBeforePersist
@@ -626,7 +626,7 @@ export function useLocalStorageValue<T>(
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (typeof window === 'undefined') return { val: defaultValue }
+	if (typeof window === 'undefined') return { val: defaultValue, skipNextWriteOnce: () => {} }
 	const savedValue = localStorage.getItem(key)
 	let s = $state<T>(
 		savedValue != null && savedValue !== 'undefined' ? (deserialize(savedValue) as T) : defaultValue
@@ -694,6 +694,16 @@ export function useLocalStorageValue<T>(
 				}
 			}
 			s = newVal
+		},
+		/**
+		 * Arm the persist skip so the next `set val` (or deep-mutation flush)
+		 * updates only the in-memory cell and leaves localStorage untouched.
+		 * Used by `UserDraft.discard` to reset the in-memory state to a
+		 * fallback without re-persisting it — pairs with an explicit LS
+		 * delete to leave the slot empty.
+		 */
+		skipNextWriteOnce(): void {
+			skipNextWrite = true
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/userDraft.svelte.ts b/frontend/src/lib/userDraft.svelte.ts
index 03828f7d8d..fc1f2d7214 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/userDraft.svelte.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/userDraft.svelte.ts
@@ -89,7 +89,10 @@ function stamp<V>(stored: StoredDraft<V> | undefined): StoredDraft<V> | undefine
 	return { ...stored, lastWrittenAt: Date.now() }
 }
 
-type DraftState<V> = { val: StoredDraft<V> | undefined }
+type DraftState<V> = {
+	val: StoredDraft<V> | undefined
+	skipNextWriteOnce(): void
+}
 
 type DraftEntry = {
 	count: number
@@ -350,6 +353,46 @@ export const UserDraft = {
 		}
 	},
 
+	/**
+	 * Discard the local autosave and reset any live handle's `draft` to
+	 * `fallback`. Differs from `remove` in two ways:
+	 *
+	 * 1. The in-memory cell is updated, so consumers reactively reading
+	 *    `handle.draft` immediately see the fallback instead of the
+	 *    stale local autosave.
+	 * 2. The in-memory reset is marked to skip the next persist, so the
+	 *    fallback value does NOT round-trip back into localStorage. The
+	 *    LS slot stays empty until the user makes a real edit.
+	 *
+	 * Used by route editors' "Reset to deployed" flow: pass the backend
+	 * baseline as `fallback` so the form repaints against deployed state
+	 * without leaving a duplicate-of-backend LS entry behind.
+	 */
+	discard<V>(
+		itemKind: UserDraftItemKind,
+		path: string,
+		fallback: V | undefined,
+		opts?: UserDraftOptions
+	): void {
+		const ws = resolveWorkspace(opts)
+		const mk = mapKey(ws, itemKind, path)
+		const entry = entries.get(mk)
+		if (entry) {
+			// Arm the skip BEFORE the cell write so `useLocalStorageValue`'s
+			// setter consumes it and suppresses the would-be persist. The
+			// explicit `localStorage.removeItem` below is what actually
+			// clears the slot (and also covers the case where no live
+			// handle exists).
+			entry.state.skipNextWriteOnce()
+			entry.state.val = wrap(fallback) as StoredDraft<unknown> | undefined
+		}
+		try {
+			localStorage.removeItem(localStorageKey(ws, itemKind, path))
+		} catch (e) {
+			console.error('UserDraft.discard: localStorage remove failed', e)
+		}
+	},
+
 	use<V = unknown>(
 		itemKind: UserDraftItemKind,
 		path: string,
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/userDraft.test.ts b/frontend/src/lib/userDraft.test.ts
index 3ea97b05c2..ae33c31587 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/userDraft.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/userDraft.test.ts
@@ -169,6 +169,36 @@ describe('UserDraft.use() — observer sync', () => {
 		expect(localStorage.getItem('userdraft/w/test_ws/flow/u/me/removed')).toBeNull()
 	})
 
+	it('discard() clears LS, resets the handle to the fallback, and does NOT re-persist', () => {
+		// Seed: handle holds a divergent local autosave.
+		localStorage.setItem('userdraft/w/test_ws/flow/u/me/discard', wrapped('local-edit'))
+		const handle = UserDraft.use<string>('flow', 'u/me/discard')
+		expect(handle.draft).toBe('local-edit')
+
+		// Reset to a known backend baseline.
+		UserDraft.discard('flow', 'u/me/discard', 'backend-baseline')
+		flushPersist()
+
+		// In-memory handle reflects the fallback immediately.
+		expect(handle.draft).toBe('backend-baseline')
+		// LS is cleared and stays cleared — the fallback must NOT round-trip
+		// back into storage (that would make the next reload "restore" the
+		// fallback as if it were a real autosave).
+		expect(localStorage.getItem('userdraft/w/test_ws/flow/u/me/discard')).toBeNull()
+	})
+
+	it('discard() with undefined fallback clears both LS and in-memory state', () => {
+		localStorage.setItem('userdraft/w/test_ws/flow/u/me/wipe', wrapped('local-edit'))
+		const handle = UserDraft.use<string>('flow', 'u/me/wipe')
+		expect(handle.draft).toBe('local-edit')
+
+		UserDraft.discard('flow', 'u/me/wipe', undefined)
+		flushPersist()
+
+		expect(handle.draft).toBeUndefined()
+		expect(localStorage.getItem('userdraft/w/test_ws/flow/u/me/wipe')).toBeNull()
+	})
+
 	it('the second write through the handle setter persists to localStorage', () => {
 		const handle = UserDraft.use<string>('flow', 'u/me/setter')