diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/updater/checkout-current-sha.test.ts b/apps/desktop/electron/updater/checkout-current-sha.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9c5eee4f14
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/updater/checkout-current-sha.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+import * as fs from 'node:fs'
+import * as os from 'node:os'
+import * as path from 'node:path'
+
+import { expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+
+import { type CheckoutStrategyDeps, createCheckoutStrategy, readStampedCommit } from './checkout'
+import type { SourceUpdate } from './checkout-source'
+
+const STAMPED: string = 'a'.repeat(40)
+const PROBED: string = 'b'.repeat(40)
+
+function writeStamp(root: string, commit: string): void {
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(root, 'install-stamp.json'), JSON.stringify({ schemaVersion: 2, commit, source: 'git' }))
+}
+
+function deps(root: string, status: SourceUpdate | null, isWindows: boolean): CheckoutStrategyDeps {
+  return {
+    readSourceUpdate: vi.fn(async (): Promise<SourceUpdate | null> => status),
+    hermesHome: 'home',
+    isWindows,
+    isMac: process.platform === 'darwin',
+    defaultUpdateBranch: 'main',
+    updateHandoffDwellMs: 0,
+    resolveUpdateRoot: (): string => root,
+    resolveUpdaterBinary: vi.fn((): null => null),
+    remoteGatewayActive: (): boolean => false,
+    emitUpdateProgress: vi.fn(),
+    rememberLog: vi.fn(),
+    startHermes: vi.fn(async (): Promise<void> => {}),
+    stopBackendsForUpdate: vi.fn(async (): Promise<void> => {}),
+    repairMacUpdaterHelper: vi.fn(),
+    preflightStateDb: vi.fn(),
+    runningAppBundle: (): null => null,
+    markQuittingForHandoff: vi.fn(),
+    quit: vi.fn()
+  }
+}
+
+it.each([
+  ['windows-handoff', true],
+  ['posix-handoff', false]
+])(
+  '%s reports the checkout commit even when the source probe never supplied one',
+  async (_mechanism: string, isWindows: boolean): Promise<void> => {
+    const root: string = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'checkout-sha-'))
+
+    try {
+      // A probe-less checkout (the manual path: no hermes_cli/source_check.py)
+      // previously reported no currentSha at all — the commit showed nowhere.
+      writeStamp(root, STAMPED)
+      const strategy: ReturnType<typeof createCheckoutStrategy> = createCheckoutStrategy(deps(root, null, isWindows))
+
+      expect(await strategy.check()).toMatchObject({
+        supported: true,
+        mechanism: isWindows ? 'windows-handoff' : 'posix-handoff',
+        currentSha: STAMPED
+      })
+    } finally {
+      fs.rmSync(root, { recursive: true, force: true })
+    }
+  }
+)
+
+it('fills currentSha from the install stamp when the probe omitted it, but never overrides the probe', async (): Promise<void> => {
+  const root: string = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'checkout-sha-'))
+
+  try {
+    writeStamp(root, STAMPED)
+
+    // A probe status that carries no currentSha (stale cache shapes, error
+    // statuses) still leaves the badge with a commit to show.
+    const bare: SourceUpdate = { supported: true, error: 'fetch-failed', behind: null }
+    expect(await createCheckoutStrategy(deps(root, bare, false)).check()).toMatchObject({ currentSha: STAMPED })
+
+    // The probe's own answer — including its currentSha — always wins.
+    const probed: SourceUpdate = { supported: true, currentSha: PROBED, behind: 0, updateAvailable: false }
+    expect(await createCheckoutStrategy(deps(root, probed, false)).check()).toMatchObject({ currentSha: PROBED })
+  } finally {
+    fs.rmSync(root, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  }
+})
+
+it('readStampedCommit returns the stamped commit, or null for absent and malformed stamps', (): void => {
+  const root: string = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'checkout-stamp-'))
+
+  try {
+    expect(readStampedCommit(root)).toBeNull()
+
+    writeStamp(root, STAMPED)
+    expect(readStampedCommit(root)).toBe(STAMPED)
+
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(root, 'install-stamp.json'), JSON.stringify({ commit: null, source: 'git' }))
+    expect(readStampedCommit(root)).toBeNull()
+
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(root, 'install-stamp.json'), '{not json')
+    expect(readStampedCommit(root)).toBeNull()
+  } finally {
+    fs.rmSync(root, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  }
+})
diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/updater/checkout.ts b/apps/desktop/electron/updater/checkout.ts
index 637d1974bc..32d07e6030 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/updater/checkout.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/updater/checkout.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 // Checkout update policy and handoff execution. The shell supplies process and UI dependencies.
 
-import { existsSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { existsSync, readFileSync } from 'node:fs'
 import * as path from 'node:path'
 
 import { updateHandoffConflict, writeUpdateMarker } from '../update-marker'
@@ -66,6 +66,22 @@ export function buildManualUpdateCommand(currentBranch: string | null | undefine
     : 'hermes update'
 }
 
+/**
+ * The commit this checkout was installed at, from the install stamp the
+ * updater already trusts (written by the CLI's completion tail next to the
+ * checkout it attests). Read-only display data for `currentSha`; never a
+ * git spawn and never an update input. Null when absent or malformed.
+ */
+export function readStampedCommit(root: string): string | null {
+  try {
+    const stamp = JSON.parse(readFileSync(path.join(root, 'install-stamp.json'), 'utf8')) as { commit?: unknown }
+
+    return typeof stamp.commit === 'string' && stamp.commit ? stamp.commit : null
+  } catch {
+    return null
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * The checkout strategy: windows-handoff on win32, posix-handoff elsewhere.
  * The bodies are the production update flow; the mechanism stamp rides on
@@ -89,6 +105,18 @@ export function createCheckoutStrategy(deps: CheckoutStrategyDeps): UpdaterStrat
 
     status.mechanism = mechanism
 
+    // Display data only (#122727): the statusbar and command palette read
+    // currentSha, but a probe-less checkout never supplied it. The install
+    // stamp names the checkout's commit without a git spawn; never let it
+    // override the probe and never let it influence the update decision.
+    if (!status.currentSha) {
+      const stamped: string | null = readStampedCommit(root)
+
+      if (stamped) {
+        status.currentSha = stamped
+      }
+    }
+
     return status
   }