diff --git a/app/models/automation_rule_pending_execution.rb b/app/models/automation_rule_pending_execution.rb
index 3f287b201..9c574fedb 100644
--- a/app/models/automation_rule_pending_execution.rb
+++ b/app/models/automation_rule_pending_execution.rb
@@ -68,22 +68,27 @@ class AutomationRulePendingExecution < ApplicationRecord
   def self.rearm_or_advance_episode(rule, conversation, key, message, anchor)
     return unless message
 
-    row = find_by!(automation_rule_id: rule.id, conversation_id: conversation.id, episode_key: key)
-    # Jobs can arrive out of order; only a strictly newer message advances or re-arms, so a late
-    # older message can't pull due_at backwards and fire before the delay elapses.
-    return unless message.id > row.message_id
-
     due_at = rule.execution_delay.minutes.since(anchor)
-    if row.condition_skipped?
-      # A message episode key can recur (no new incoming reply) while conditions swing back into
-      # match, so a later qualifying message re-arms the condition-only skip instead of dropping.
-      row.update!(status: :pending, skip_reason: nil, due_at: due_at, message_id: message.id)
-    elsif !row.terminal?
-      # Track the newest qualifying message. Reply-chase advances due_at with each agent reply;
-      # awaiting-agent keeps its first clock (its anchor is the stable waiting_since, so due_at is
-      # unchanged). Re-anchoring a row still processing (its worker died mid-run) back to pending
-      # also keeps a stale reclaim from firing the old clock instead of the latest one.
-      row.update!(status: :pending, due_at: due_at, message_id: message.id)
+    row = find_by!(automation_rule_id: rule.id, conversation_id: conversation.id, episode_key: key)
+    # The lock (and the reload it does) makes the compare-and-write atomic. Two listeners racing on
+    # the same episode would otherwise both read the old message_id and let whichever wrote last
+    # win, so an older message could overwrite a newer one and pull due_at backwards.
+    row.with_lock do
+      # Jobs can arrive out of order; only a strictly newer message advances or re-arms, so a late
+      # older message can't pull due_at backwards and fire before the delay elapses.
+      next unless message.id > row.message_id
+
+      if row.condition_skipped?
+        # A message episode key can recur (no new incoming reply) while conditions swing back into
+        # match, so a later qualifying message re-arms the condition-only skip instead of dropping.
+        row.update!(status: :pending, skip_reason: nil, due_at: due_at, message_id: message.id)
+      elsif row.pending? || row.stale_processing?
+        # Track the newest qualifying message. Reply-chase advances due_at with each agent reply;
+        # awaiting-agent keeps its first clock (its anchor is the stable waiting_since, so due_at is
+        # unchanged). Re-anchoring a row whose worker died mid-run back to pending also keeps a
+        # stale reclaim from firing the old clock instead of the latest one.
+        row.update!(status: :pending, due_at: due_at, message_id: message.id)
+      end
     end
   end
 
@@ -162,6 +167,13 @@ class AutomationRulePendingExecution < ApplicationRecord
     self.class.episode_key_for(conversation, message) == episode_key
   end
 
+  # The claim renews updated_at, so a processing row past the timeout means its worker died. Only
+  # then may a re-arm take the row back: pulling a live worker's row to pending would let the sweep
+  # claim it and run the same actions alongside the worker still executing them.
+  def stale_processing?
+    processing? && updated_at < STALE_PROCESSING_TIMEOUT.ago
+  end
+
   def condition_skipped?
     skipped? && skip_reason == CONDITIONS_CHANGED_SKIP
   end
@@ -175,6 +187,6 @@ class AutomationRulePendingExecution < ApplicationRecord
   def claimable?
     # due_at guard: a reply-chase reschedule can push due_at forward after this row was enqueued;
     # such a row must wait for a later sweep instead of firing early.
-    (pending? && due_at <= Time.current) || (processing? && updated_at < STALE_PROCESSING_TIMEOUT.ago)
+    (pending? && due_at <= Time.current) || stale_processing?
   end
 end