diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/utils_draft_deploy.test.ts b/frontend/src/lib/utils_draft_deploy.test.ts
index 5f503989c8..6eddfe093d 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/utils_draft_deploy.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/utils_draft_deploy.test.ts
@@ -122,6 +122,25 @@ describe('deployDraft preserves on_behalf_of', () => {
 			})
 		)
 	})
+
+	it('agent: claims the deployed identity, which its draft never carries', async () => {
+		vi.mocked(ResourceService.getResource).mockResolvedValueOnce({
+			path: 'f/support/triage_agent',
+			resource_type: 'ai_agent',
+			value: { system_prompt: 'deployed', on_behalf_of: 'u/alice' },
+			draft: { path: 'f/support/triage_agent', args: { system_prompt: 'drafted' } }
+		} as any)
+
+		expect(await deployDraft('resource', 'f/support/triage_agent', 'ws')).toEqual({ success: true })
+		expect(ResourceService.updateResource).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+			expect.objectContaining({
+				requestBody: expect.objectContaining({
+					value: { system_prompt: 'drafted', on_behalf_of: 'u/alice' },
+					preserve_on_behalf_of: true
+				})
+			})
+		)
+	})
 })
 
 // The resource branch reads the item again when the deploy lands, and falls back to the deployed
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/utils_draft_deploy.ts b/frontend/src/lib/utils_draft_deploy.ts
index 31b973f9a5..3614b344e2 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/utils_draft_deploy.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/utils_draft_deploy.ts
@@ -233,8 +233,14 @@ function canonicalizeDraftDiffValue(kind: DraftKind, raw: any, isDraft: boolean)
 	if (kind === 'resource') {
 		// draft: { args, description, resource_type, labels, wsSpecific }
 		// deployed row: { value, description, resource_type, labels, ws_specific }
+		// An agent's identity is in its deployed value and never in a draft, which is not an edit.
+		let value = (isDraft ? raw.args : raw.value) ?? {}
+		if (raw.resource_type === 'ai_agent') {
+			const { on_behalf_of: _, ...rest } = value
+			value = rest
+		}
 		return {
-			value: (isDraft ? raw.args : raw.value) ?? {},
+			value,
 			description: raw.description ?? '',
 			resource_type: raw.resource_type ?? undefined,
 			labels: raw.labels ?? undefined,
@@ -639,12 +645,18 @@ export async function deployDraft(
 					}
 				})
 			} else {
+				// As for an app: an agent draft carries no identity, so the deployed one is kept (the
+				// backend resets it to the deploying user without the flag, gated by
+				// can_preserve_on_behalf_of).
+				const agentObo =
+					deployed.resource_type === 'ai_agent' ? deployed.value?.on_behalf_of : undefined
 				await ResourceService.updateResource({
 					workspace,
 					path,
 					requestBody: {
 						path: d.path ?? path,
-						value: d.args ?? {},
+						value: agentObo ? { ...(d.args ?? {}), on_behalf_of: agentObo } : (d.args ?? {}),
+						preserve_on_behalf_of: agentObo ? true : undefined,
 						description: d.description ?? '',
 						labels: d.labels,
 						ws_specific: d.wsSpecific