diff --git a/hermes_cli/_early_recovery.py b/hermes_cli/_early_recovery.py
index 4bf32f7a02..45a1455939 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/_early_recovery.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/_early_recovery.py
@@ -440,12 +440,17 @@ _ZIP_STAGING_SUFFIX, _ZIP_OLD_SUFFIX = ".hermes-update-staging", ".hermes-update
 
 @contextlib.contextmanager
 def zip_swap_owner_lock(root: Path, *, wait: float = 0.0):
-    """Yields True while this process owns the ZIP swap lock, False when a live owner holds it."""
+    """Yields True while this process owns the ZIP swap lock, False when a live owner holds it.
+
+    The lock file is removed again once no journal is left, so a settled install carries no
+    breadcrumb (the swap itself also runs under the update lock; this one only proves liveness)."""
+    lock_path = Path(root) / (ZIP_SWAP_JOURNAL + ".lock")
     try:
-        fd = os.open(Path(root) / (ZIP_SWAP_JOURNAL + ".lock"), os.O_RDWR | os.O_CREAT, 0o644)
+        fd = os.open(lock_path, os.O_RDWR | os.O_CREAT, 0o644)
     except OSError:
         yield True  # unwritable root: no swap can run there either
         return
+    owned = False
     try:
         deadline = time.monotonic() + wait
         while not _lock_fd(fd, True):
@@ -453,12 +458,16 @@ def zip_swap_owner_lock(root: Path, *, wait: float = 0.0):
                 yield False
                 return
             time.sleep(0.05)
+        owned = True
         try:
             yield True
         finally:
             _lock_fd(fd, False)
     finally:
         os.close(fd)
+        if owned and not (Path(root) / ZIP_SWAP_JOURNAL).exists():
+            with contextlib.suppress(OSError):
+                lock_path.unlink()
 
 
 def write_zip_swap_journal(root: Path, phase: str, entries: list) -> None:
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_update_fetch_failure_classifier.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_update_fetch_failure_classifier.py
index 994d17b154..e6b21ff604 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_update_fetch_failure_classifier.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_update_fetch_failure_classifier.py
@@ -149,9 +149,11 @@ def test_update_and_upstream_network_calls_disable_terminal_prompts(monkeypatch,
     assert update_cmd_git._sync_with_upstream_if_needed(["git"], tmp_path, assume_yes=True)
     from hermes_cli.update_custody import git_subcommand
 
-    # The fork's fast-forward is local (`merge --ff-only upstream/main` after the fetch): no
-    # credential helper ever runs under the checkout lock fd a mutator inherits (R2).
-    network = [(args, kwargs) for args, kwargs in calls if git_subcommand(args) != "rev-parse"]
+    # The fork push runs only after the update is validated (_push_synced_fork), never inside the sync.
+    update_cmd_git._sync_fork_with_upstream(["git"], tmp_path)
+    # The fork's fast-forward is local (`merge --ff-only` after the fetch): no credential helper ever
+    # runs under the checkout lock fd a mutator inherits (R2).
+    network = [(args, kwargs) for args, kwargs in calls if git_subcommand(args) in {"fetch", "pull", "push", "merge"}]
     assert [git_subcommand(args) for args, _ in network] == ["fetch", "fetch", "merge", "push"]
     assert network[2][0][-1] == upstream  # the counted commit, not a name a local branch can shadow
     for args, kwargs in network: