diff --git a/src/lib/onboard/docker-gpu-patch-finalize.test.ts b/src/lib/onboard/docker-gpu-patch-finalize.test.ts
index 83b3c54d911..b3348d8fb30 100644
--- a/src/lib/onboard/docker-gpu-patch-finalize.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/onboard/docker-gpu-patch-finalize.test.ts
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ describe("finalizeDockerGpuPatchBackup", () => {
   });
 
   it.each(["Error", "Deleting"])(
-    "accepts %s only when the stopped replacement is the sole labeled container (#9962)",
+    "accepts %s for the exact stopped replacement despite stale legacy name metadata (#9962)",
     (phase) => {
     const replacementContainerId = "a".repeat(64);
     const events: string[] = [];
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ describe("finalizeDockerGpuPatchBackup", () => {
       events.push("remove backup");
       return { status: 0 };
     });
-    const dockerRun = vi.fn(() => {
+    const dockerRun = vi.fn((_args: readonly string[]) => {
       events.push("confirm exact replacement");
       return { status: 0, stdout: `${replacementContainerId}\n` };
     });
@@ -184,15 +184,15 @@ describe("finalizeDockerGpuPatchBackup", () => {
       return { status: 0 };
     });
     const runOpenshell = vi.fn(() => {
-      events.push("observe error");
-      return { status: 0, stdout: `alpha  2026-08-23 01:40:35  ${phase}\n` };
+      events.push("observe retiring phase");
+      return { status: 0, stdout: `restored-name  2026-08-23 01:40:35  ${phase}\n` };
     });
 
     const outcome = finalizeDockerGpuPatchBackup(
       {
         result: { ...deferredCreateResult(), newContainerId: replacementContainerId },
         supervisorReady: true,
-        sandboxName: "alpha",
+        sandboxName: "restored-name",
         lifecycleReleaseTimeoutSecs: 60,
       },
       { dockerStop, dockerRm, dockerRun, dockerStart, runOpenshell, sleep: vi.fn() },
@@ -206,17 +206,26 @@ describe("finalizeDockerGpuPatchBackup", () => {
     expect(events).toEqual([
       "stop replacement",
       "remove backup",
-      "observe error",
+      "observe retiring phase",
       "confirm exact replacement",
       "start replacement",
     ]);
     expect(dockerRun).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-      expect.arrayContaining([
+      [
+        "ps",
+        "-a",
         "--no-trunc",
+        "--filter",
+        `id=${replacementContainerId}`,
+        "--filter",
         "label=openshell.ai/managed-by=openshell",
-        "label=openshell.ai/sandbox-name=alpha",
-      ]),
-      expect.objectContaining({ ignoreError: true }),
+        "--format",
+        "{{.ID}}",
+      ],
+      expect.objectContaining({ ignoreError: true, suppressOutput: true }),
+    );
+    expect(dockerRun.mock.calls[0]?.[0]).not.toContain(
+      "label=openshell.ai/sandbox-name=restored-name",
     );
     },
   );
@@ -277,7 +286,7 @@ describe("finalizeDockerGpuPatchBackup", () => {
       { status: 0, stdout: `${"a".repeat(64)}\n${"b".repeat(64)}\n` },
     ],
     ["a truncated replacement ID", { status: 0, stdout: `${"a".repeat(12)}\n` }],
-  ])("does not accept Error with %s (#9962)", (_case, dockerResult) => {
+  ])("does not accept Error when exact replacement corroboration returns %s (#9962)", (_case, dockerResult) => {
     const replacementContainerId = "a".repeat(64);
     const dockerStart = vi.fn(() => ({ status: 0 }));
     const outcome = finalizeDockerGpuPatchBackup(
diff --git a/src/lib/onboard/docker-gpu-patch-finalize.ts b/src/lib/onboard/docker-gpu-patch-finalize.ts
index e464192d96c..b1cd396a087 100644
--- a/src/lib/onboard/docker-gpu-patch-finalize.ts
+++ b/src/lib/onboard/docker-gpu-patch-finalize.ts
@@ -32,7 +32,10 @@ import {
 import { fullDockerContainerId } from "./docker-gpu-patch-clone";
 import type { DockerGpuPatchDeps, DockerGpuPatchResult } from "./docker-gpu-patch-types";
 import { waitForOpenShellSandboxLifecycleRelease } from "./docker-gpu-supervisor-reconnect";
-import { queryOpenShellDockerSandboxContainers } from "./openshell-docker-sandbox-containers";
+import {
+  OPENSHELL_MANAGED_BY_LABEL,
+  OPENSHELL_MANAGED_BY_VALUE,
+} from "./openshell-docker-sandbox-containers";
 
 export {
   restoreDockerGpuPatchBackupAfterRecreateFailure as rollbackDockerGpuPatchOnRecreateFailure,
@@ -62,8 +65,7 @@ export type DockerGpuPatchFinalizeOutcome = {
   replacementPresence?: "absent" | "present" | "unknown";
 };
 
-function isSoleLabeledReplacement(
-  sandboxName: string,
+function isExactOpenShellReplacement(
   replacementContainerId: string,
   dockerRun: NonNullable<DockerGpuPatchDeps["dockerRun"]>,
   timeoutMs: number,
@@ -71,11 +73,32 @@ function isSoleLabeledReplacement(
   const expectedContainerId = fullDockerContainerId(replacementContainerId);
   if (!expectedContainerId || timeoutMs <= 0) return false;
   try {
-    const containers = queryOpenShellDockerSandboxContainers(sandboxName, { dockerRun }, timeoutMs);
+    const query = dockerRun(
+      [
+        "ps",
+        "-a",
+        "--no-trunc",
+        "--filter",
+        `id=${expectedContainerId}`,
+        "--filter",
+        `label=${OPENSHELL_MANAGED_BY_LABEL}=${OPENSHELL_MANAGED_BY_VALUE}`,
+        "--format",
+        "{{.ID}}",
+      ],
+      {
+        ignoreError: true,
+        suppressOutput: true,
+        timeout: Math.max(1, Math.min(DOCKER_GPU_PATCH_TIMEOUT_MS, Math.floor(timeoutMs))),
+      },
+    );
+    if (!hasZeroDockerExitStatus(query)) return false;
+    const containerIds = String(query.stdout ?? "")
+      .split(/\r?\n/u)
+      .map((line) => line.trim())
+      .filter(Boolean);
     return (
-      containers.ok &&
-      containers.ids.length === 1 &&
-      fullDockerContainerId(containers.ids[0]) === expectedContainerId
+      containerIds.length === 1 &&
+      fullDockerContainerId(containerIds[0]) === expectedContainerId
     );
   } catch {
     return false;
@@ -129,8 +152,7 @@ export function finalizeDockerGpuPatchBackup(
             runOpenshell: deps.runOpenshell,
             sleep: deps.sleep,
             soleLabeledReplacementCorroboratesRetiringPhase: (remainingMs) =>
-              isSoleLabeledReplacement(
-                sandboxName,
+              isExactOpenShellReplacement(
                 options.result.newContainerId,
                 resolved.dockerRun,
                 remainingMs,
diff --git a/src/lib/onboard/docker-gpu-supervisor-reconnect.ts b/src/lib/onboard/docker-gpu-supervisor-reconnect.ts
index 89f36d730bf..aaf035d0d06 100644
--- a/src/lib/onboard/docker-gpu-supervisor-reconnect.ts
+++ b/src/lib/onboard/docker-gpu-supervisor-reconnect.ts
@@ -99,11 +99,12 @@ type DockerLifecycleReleaseDeps = Pick<
  * - The caller enters this wait only after the replacement reached Ready and
  *   was deliberately stopped. A successful list normally omits the sandbox
  *   name. An Error or Deleting row is also sufficient only when a separate
- *   bounded Docker query confirms that exact stopped replacement is the sole
- *   remaining labeled container. This corroborates the release condition;
- *   the OpenShell row alone is not an identity-bound ownership receipt. The
- *   Deleting case breaks the otherwise circular wait where OpenShell retains
- *   the row until that exact replacement emits its restart event.
+ *   bounded Docker query confirms that the transaction-owned full replacement
+ *   ID still identifies exactly one OpenShell-managed container. This
+ *   corroborates the release condition; the OpenShell row alone is not an
+ *   identity-bound ownership receipt. The Deleting case breaks the otherwise
+ *   circular wait where OpenShell retains the row until that exact replacement
+ *   emits its restart event.
  * - `waits for the sandbox name to disappear before restarting the
  *   replacement (#9531)` protects the event order. `rejects final handoff when
  *   OpenShell never releases the deleting lifecycle record (#9531)` protects