diff --git a/hermes_cli/kanban_db_dispatch.py b/hermes_cli/kanban_db_dispatch.py
index b4227814ad..a46fb0c376 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/kanban_db_dispatch.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/kanban_db_dispatch.py
@@ -2084,23 +2084,32 @@ def _lane_rows(conn: sqlite3.Connection, status: str) -> list[sqlite3.Row]:
 
 
 def _any_spawnable_review(
-    conn: sqlite3.Connection, review_rows: list[sqlite3.Row],
+    conn: sqlite3.Connection,
+    review_rows: list[sqlite3.Row],
+    *,
+    per_profile_cap: Optional[int] = None,
+    per_profile_running: Optional[dict[str, int]] = None,
 ) -> bool:
     """Mirror review dispatch gates before reserving ready-lane capacity.
 
     Unavailable profile metadata retains the historic fail-open behavior. A
-    respawn-guarded review row cannot consume the reservation, however, so it
-    must not withhold capacity from an otherwise ready task.
+    review row that :func:`_dispatch_lane_task` would refuse this tick — its
+    assignee already at the per-profile cap, or respawn-guarded — cannot
+    consume the reservation, so it must not withhold capacity from an
+    otherwise ready task (one such row would pin ``ready_budget`` to 0).
     """
     if not review_rows:
         return False
     profile_exists = _profile_exists_fn()
+    running = per_profile_running or {}
     for row in review_rows:
         assignee = row["assignee"]
         if not assignee:
             continue
         if profile_exists is not None and not profile_exists(assignee):
             continue
+        if per_profile_cap is not None and running.get(assignee, 0) >= per_profile_cap:
+            continue
         if check_respawn_guard(conn, row["id"], lane="review") is None:
             return True
     return False
@@ -2159,15 +2168,10 @@ def _dispatch_once_locked(
     # Review rows are enumerated up front so the budget split can see whether
     # review work exists at all.
     review_rows = _lane_rows(conn, "review") if review_dispatch_enabled() else []
-    # Review-lane reservation: the ready loop runs first and would otherwise
-    # consume the ENTIRE shared budget, starving reviews under a sustained ready
-    # backlog. When spawnable review work exists and there is any budget, hold
-    # one slot back.
-    ready_budget = spawn_budget
-    if spawn_budget is not None and spawn_budget > 0 and _any_spawnable_review(conn, review_rows):
-        ready_budget = max(spawn_budget - 1, 0)
     # Per-profile cap. Deferred tasks go to skipped_per_profile_capped, not
     # skipped_unassigned — "busy, retry later" differs from "needs routing".
+    # Resolved BEFORE the review reservation so the reservation can see which
+    # review rows the lane loop would refuse this tick.
     per_profile_cap = max_in_progress_per_profile if (
         # Per-profile concurrency cap (#21582): when set, track how many workers each assignee already has
         # in flight, and refuse to spawn when this would push that assignee past the cap. Prevents fan-out
@@ -2184,6 +2188,16 @@ def _dispatch_once_locked(
             "GROUP BY assignee"
         ):
             per_profile_running[prow["assignee"]] = int(prow["n"])
+    # Review-lane reservation: the ready loop runs first and would otherwise
+    # consume the ENTIRE shared budget, starving reviews under a sustained ready
+    # backlog. When spawnable review work exists and there is any budget, hold
+    # one slot back.
+    ready_budget = spawn_budget
+    if spawn_budget is not None and spawn_budget > 0 and _any_spawnable_review(
+        conn, review_rows,
+        per_profile_cap=per_profile_cap, per_profile_running=per_profile_running,
+    ):
+        ready_budget = max(spawn_budget - 1, 0)
     lane_kwargs: dict[str, Any] = dict(
         dry_run=dry_run, ttl_seconds=ttl_seconds, board=board,
         failure_limit=failure_limit, spawn_fn=spawn_fn,
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_kanban_host_cap.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_kanban_host_cap.py
index c3f28a73dd..db08fef241 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_kanban_host_cap.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_kanban_host_cap.py
@@ -243,10 +243,34 @@ def test_review_lane_gets_reserved_slot_under_ready_backlog(
     assert review_id in spawned_ids
 
 
-def test_guarded_review_does_not_reserve_the_only_ready_slot(
-    kanban_home, all_assignees_spawnable, monkeypatch,
+def _guard_review_row(conn: sqlite3.Connection, review_id: str) -> dict:
+    """Latest run ``rate_limited`` → ``check_respawn_guard`` returns a cooldown."""
+    now = int(time.time())
+    with kb.write_txn(conn):
+        conn.execute(
+            "INSERT INTO task_runs (task_id, profile, status, outcome, "
+            "started_at, ended_at) VALUES (?, 'reviewer', 'rate_limited', "
+            "'rate_limited', ?, ?)",
+            (review_id, now, now),
+        )
+    assert kbd.check_respawn_guard(conn, review_id, lane="review") == "rate_limit_cooldown"
+    return {"max_in_progress": 1}
+
+
+def _cap_review_row(conn: sqlite3.Connection, review_id: str) -> dict:
+    """``reviewer`` already has one running worker → the review row is per-profile capped."""
+    busy_id = kb.create_task(conn, title="busy", assignee="reviewer")
+    assert kb.claim_task(conn, busy_id) is not None
+    return {"max_in_progress": 2, "max_in_progress_per_profile": 1}
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("make_unspawnable", [_guard_review_row, _cap_review_row])
+def test_unspawnable_review_does_not_reserve_the_only_ready_slot(
+    kanban_home, all_assignees_spawnable, monkeypatch, make_unspawnable,
 ):
-    """A review card in cooldown must not consume fairness reservation."""
+    """A review card the review loop would refuse this tick (respawn guard,
+    per-profile cap) must not consume the fairness reservation — otherwise the
+    ready lane starves every tick while the reserved slot goes unused."""
     import hermes_cli.config as cfgmod
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(
@@ -257,18 +281,9 @@ def test_guarded_review_does_not_reserve_the_only_ready_slot(
     spawns: list = []
     with kbc.connect() as conn:
         ready_id = kb.create_task(conn, title="ready-now", assignee="alice")
-        review_id = _park_in_review(conn, "review-cooldown", "reviewer")
-        now = int(time.time())
-        with kb.write_txn(conn):
-            conn.execute(
-                "INSERT INTO task_runs (task_id, profile, status, outcome, "
-                "started_at, ended_at) VALUES (?, 'reviewer', 'rate_limited', "
-                "'rate_limited', ?, ?)",
-                (review_id, now, now),
-            )
-        res = kbd.dispatch_once(
-            conn, spawn_fn=_fake_spawn_factory(spawns), max_in_progress=1,
-        )
+        review_id = _park_in_review(conn, "review-unspawnable", "reviewer")
+        caps = make_unspawnable(conn, review_id)
+        res = kbd.dispatch_once(conn, spawn_fn=_fake_spawn_factory(spawns), **caps)
 
     assert [task_id for task_id, *_ in res.spawned] == [ready_id]