diff --git a/src/eval/live.ts b/src/eval/live.ts
index 340d811..cba0f4c 100644
--- a/src/eval/live.ts
+++ b/src/eval/live.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { mkdir, writeFile, readFile, readdir } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { mkdir, writeFile, readFile, readdir, rm } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { existsSync } from "node:fs";
 import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
 import { runnerFromSpec } from "./runners/index.js";
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ export async function runLiveEval(opts: LiveEvalOptions): Promise<EvalReport> {
   // Keyed by canonicalId because the spec→canonical mapping is set
   // once per runner; populated by ModelRunnerOutput.requestId.
   const requestIdsByModel = new Map<string, string[]>();
+  let clearedSamples = 0;
 
   for (const spec of opts.models) {
     const runner = await runnerFromSpec(spec);
@@ -100,6 +101,25 @@ export async function runLiveEval(opts: LiveEvalOptions): Promise<EvalReport> {
       const condDir = join(modelDir, condition);
       await mkdir(condDir, { recursive: true });
 
+      // Replace this cell's samples rather than writing over them.
+      // Without this, dropping --n leaves the tail of a larger previous
+      // run in place, and a sample that failed last time but succeeded
+      // now keeps its .error.txt beside the new .html, so the same
+      // sample is counted as both errored and scored. Carry-forward is
+      // a per-model decision: a model being re-run is being replaced.
+      //
+      // Only files this loop writes are removed. Anything else a person
+      // put in the directory is left alone.
+      const stale = (await readdir(condDir).catch(() => [])).filter((f) =>
+        /^sample-\d+\.(html|raw\.txt|error\.txt)$/.test(f),
+      );
+      for (const f of stale) {
+        await rm(join(condDir, f), { force: true });
+      }
+      if (stale.length > 0) {
+        clearedSamples += stale.length;
+      }
+
       const systemPrompt =
         condition === "compiled" ? compiled.prompts.generic : undefined;
       const userPrompt = [
@@ -179,6 +199,13 @@ export async function runLiveEval(opts: LiveEvalOptions): Promise<EvalReport> {
     });
   }
 
+  if (clearedSamples > 0) {
+    console.warn(
+      `note: removed ${clearedSamples} sample file(s) from a previous run of the ` +
+        `models measured now. Cells not re-run are untouched.`,
+    );
+  }
+
   const carriedForward = [
     ...keepFromPrevious.map((m) => m.canonicalId),
     ...unmanifested,
diff --git a/tests/eval.test.ts b/tests/eval.test.ts
index aa349c9..d9d48f4 100644
--- a/tests/eval.test.ts
+++ b/tests/eval.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
-import { mkdtemp, writeFile, mkdir } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { mkdtemp, writeFile, mkdir, readdir } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { runEval, formatEvalReport } from "../src/eval/runner.js";
@@ -208,3 +208,48 @@ describe("unmanifested sample directories", () => {
     expect(formatEvalReport(report)).toContain("not run in this invocation");
   });
 });
+
+describe("stale samples from a previous run", () => {
+  // Re-running a model replaces its samples. Without this, dropping --n
+  // left the tail of a larger run in place, and a sample that errored
+  // last time but succeeded now kept its .error.txt beside the new
+  // .html, so one sample counted as both errored and scored. Models not
+  // re-run are untouched, which is what makes one-model-at-a-time work.
+  it("replaces samples for a model it re-runs and leaves others alone", async () => {
+    const { runLiveEval } = await import("../src/eval/live.js");
+    const dir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), "ahd-stale-"));
+    const token = "swiss-editorial";
+    const tokensDir = resolve(__dirname, "..", "tokens");
+    const base = { tokensDir, token, briefPath: "briefs/landing.yml", outDir: dir };
+
+    await runLiveEval({ ...base, models: ["mock-swiss"], n: 3 } as never);
+    const rawDir = join(dir, token, "mock-swiss", "raw");
+    expect((await readdir(rawDir)).filter((f) => f.endsWith(".html"))).toHaveLength(3);
+
+    // A cell that is not re-run must survive the next invocation.
+    await mkdir(join(dir, token, "kept-model", "raw"), { recursive: true });
+    await writeFile(join(dir, token, "kept-model", "raw", "sample-001.html"), "<html></html>");
+    // A stale error beside a sample that will now succeed.
+    await writeFile(join(rawDir, "sample-001.error.txt"), "boom");
+    // Something a person left in the directory. Only files the runner
+    // writes may be removed, so this has to survive.
+    await writeFile(join(rawDir, "notes.md"), "keep me");
+
+    const report = await runLiveEval({ ...base, models: ["mock-swiss"], n: 1 } as never);
+
+    const after = await readdir(rawDir);
+    expect(after.filter((f) => f.endsWith(".html"))).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(after.filter((f) => f.endsWith(".error.txt"))).toHaveLength(0);
+    expect(after).toContain("notes.md");
+    expect(await readdir(join(dir, token, "kept-model", "raw"))).toContain("sample-001.html");
+
+    // The counts the report publishes must reflect the replacement, not
+    // the union of two invocations.
+    const cell = report.cells.find(
+      (c) => c.model === "mock-swiss" && c.condition === "raw",
+    );
+    expect(cell?.counts.attempted).toBe(1);
+    expect(cell?.counts.scored).toBe(1);
+    expect(cell?.counts.errored).toBe(0);
+  });
+});