diff --git a/crates/tracedecay-session-runtime/src/session_temporal_refresh_scheduler/worker.rs b/crates/tracedecay-session-runtime/src/session_temporal_refresh_scheduler/worker.rs
index 6e41dcd610..f9cb1159b0 100644
--- a/crates/tracedecay-session-runtime/src/session_temporal_refresh_scheduler/worker.rs
+++ b/crates/tracedecay-session-runtime/src/session_temporal_refresh_scheduler/worker.rs
@@ -104,6 +104,28 @@ fn history_continuation(outcome: Option<SessionHistoricalIngestOutcome>) -> Hist
     }
 }
 
+/// Only an actually executed, unblocked history pass clears terminal backoff.
+/// A suppressed wake has no evidence of recovery; a blocked pass may have
+/// advanced healthy providers while the corrupt one remains blocked.
+/// Conversely, a completed, pending, or retryable pass may clear the terminal
+/// blocker without committing a source row.
+fn clears_blocked_history_backoff(
+    outcome: Option<&SessionHistoricalIngestOutcome>,
+    release: Option<&HistoryRelease>,
+) -> bool {
+    // Admission refusal returns Retryable without ever running the ingestor.
+    // Only a held history capacity subscription proves that a pass executed.
+    matches!(release, Some(HistoryRelease::Capacity(_)))
+        && matches!(
+            outcome,
+            Some(
+                SessionHistoricalIngestOutcome::Complete
+                    | SessionHistoricalIngestOutcome::Pending { .. }
+                    | SessionHistoricalIngestOutcome::Retryable { .. }
+            )
+        )
+}
+
 /// What a history pass that committed nothing waits on before it runs again.
 enum HistoryRelease {
     /// The daemon-wide historical admission had no free permit.
@@ -333,17 +355,10 @@ pub(super) async fn run_session_temporal_refresh_scheduler(
             ) || history_outcome
                 .as_ref()
                 .is_some_and(SessionHistoricalIngestOutcome::made_progress);
-            // A pass that made progress does NOT prove the blocked cause
-            // healed: one healthy provider advancing while another stays
-            // blocked reports Blocked { made_progress: true }, and the
-            // blocked provider would be re-read at full cadence again. The
-            // backoff resets only on an outcome with no blocker at all.
-            if history_requires_projection
-                && !matches!(
-                    history_outcome,
-                    Some(SessionHistoricalIngestOutcome::Blocked { .. })
-                )
-            {
+            // A nonblocked attempt clears old terminal backoff even when it
+            // committed no new rows. A suppressed wake or progress by healthy
+            // providers while another remains Blocked cannot clear it.
+            if clears_blocked_history_backoff(history_outcome.as_ref(), history_release.as_ref()) {
                 blocked_history_attempts = 0;
                 blocked_history_until = None;
             }
@@ -2604,6 +2619,60 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(!state.has_pending_work());
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn terminal_history_backoff_clears_only_after_an_admitted_unblocked_pass() {
+        let admitted = HistoryRelease::Capacity(SessionHistoricalCapacityRelease::new(Vec::new()));
+        let refused = HistoryRelease::Admission;
+        assert!(!clears_blocked_history_backoff(None, Some(&admitted)));
+        for made_progress in [false, true] {
+            let blocked = SessionHistoricalIngestOutcome::Blocked {
+                reason_code: "projection_store_corrupt".to_owned(),
+                made_progress,
+            };
+            assert!(
+                !clears_blocked_history_backoff(Some(&blocked), Some(&admitted)),
+                "a healthy sibling's progress cannot reset a corrupt provider's backoff"
+            );
+            let pending = SessionHistoricalIngestOutcome::Pending { made_progress };
+            assert!(clears_blocked_history_backoff(
+                Some(&pending),
+                Some(&admitted)
+            ));
+            assert!(!clears_blocked_history_backoff(
+                Some(&pending),
+                Some(&refused)
+            ));
+            let retryable = SessionHistoricalIngestOutcome::Retryable {
+                reason_code: "provider_temporarily_unavailable".to_owned(),
+                made_progress,
+            };
+            assert!(clears_blocked_history_backoff(
+                Some(&retryable),
+                Some(&admitted)
+            ));
+            assert!(!clears_blocked_history_backoff(
+                Some(&retryable),
+                Some(&refused)
+            ));
+        }
+        let admission_saturated = SessionHistoricalIngestOutcome::Retryable {
+            reason_code: HISTORY_ADMISSION_SATURATED_REASON.to_owned(),
+            made_progress: false,
+        };
+        assert!(
+            !clears_blocked_history_backoff(Some(&admission_saturated), Some(&refused)),
+            "blocked, admission-refused, then blocked again must retain escalating backoff"
+        );
+        assert!(clears_blocked_history_backoff(
+            Some(&SessionHistoricalIngestOutcome::Complete),
+            Some(&admitted)
+        ));
+        assert!(!clears_blocked_history_backoff(
+            Some(&SessionHistoricalIngestOutcome::Cancelled),
+            Some(&admitted)
+        ));
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn a_window_that_committed_coverage_continues_and_one_that_did_not_awaits_release() {
         assert_eq!(