diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index c903b7a..be06b98 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -7,12 +7,14 @@ import {
   getCommitContextsBetweenShas,
   getCurrentGitInfo,
   getRemoteUrl,
+  isAncestor,
   resolveCommitRef,
   verifyAncestorReachable,
 } from "./git";
 import {
   assertBaseRefIsAncestor,
   evaluateScanRangeSize,
+  findAnchorAheadOfHead,
   getBroadScanWarning,
   ScanBase,
   selectAutomaticScanBase,
@@ -292,6 +294,21 @@ async function syncCommand(): Promise<{
   }
 
   const recentReleases = await getRecentReleases();
+
+  // Forward-only anchor: a rolled-back HEAD must not rewind a release's stored commit, or the
+  // next sync would re-scan (and re-attach) work that already shipped.
+  const anchorAheadOfHead = findAnchorAheadOfHead(
+    recentReleases,
+    currentCommit.commit,
+    { isAncestor, verifyAncestorReachable },
+    releaseVersion,
+  );
+  if (anchorAheadOfHead) {
+    info(
+      `HEAD ${currentCommit.commit.slice(0, 7)} is behind the stored baseline ${anchorAheadOfHead.slice(0, 7)}; leaving the release commit unchanged`,
+    );
+  }
+
   const scanBase = getScanBase(recentReleases, currentCommit.commit, releaseVersion);
   let latestSha = scanBase.sha;
   let inspectingOnlyCurrentCommit = false;
@@ -416,6 +433,7 @@ async function syncCommand(): Promise<{
     links,
     documents,
     releaseNotes,
+    { preserveStoredCommitSha: Boolean(anchorAheadOfHead) },
   );
   info(
     `Synced to release ${release.name} (${formatVersion(release)}): ${scanned}${formatLinkSummary(links)}${formatDocumentsSummary(documents)}${formatReleaseNotesSummary(releaseNotes)}`,
@@ -618,6 +636,7 @@ async function syncRelease(
   releaseLinks: ReleaseLink[],
   releaseDocuments: ReleaseDocument[],
   releaseNotesValue: ReleaseNotes | undefined,
+  options: { preserveStoredCommitSha: boolean },
 ): Promise<Release> {
   const currentSha = await getCurrentGitInfo().commit;
   if (!currentSha) {
@@ -651,6 +670,7 @@ async function syncRelease(
         name: releaseName,
         version: releaseVersion,
         commitSha: currentSha,
+        preserveStoredCommitSha: options.preserveStoredCommitSha,
         issueReferences,
         revertedIssueReferences: revertedIssueReferences.length > 0 ? revertedIssueReferences : undefined,
         links: releaseLinks.length > 0 ? releaseLinks : undefined,
diff --git a/src/scan-base.test.ts b/src/scan-base.test.ts
index fc61740..cacab2c 100644
--- a/src/scan-base.test.ts
+++ b/src/scan-base.test.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import {
   assertBaseRefIsAncestor,
   BROAD_SCAN_COMMIT_THRESHOLD,
   evaluateScanRangeSize,
+  findAnchorAheadOfHead,
   getBroadScanWarning,
   SCAN_COMMIT_HARD_LIMIT,
   type ScanBase,
@@ -428,3 +429,89 @@ describe("evaluateScanRangeSize", () => {
     expect(evaluateScanRangeSize(null, releaseBase)).toEqual({ degradeToCurrentCommit: false });
   });
 });
+
+describe("findAnchorAheadOfHead", () => {
+  const anchor = "a".repeat(40);
+  const head = "b".repeat(40);
+
+  function release(commitSha?: string): Release {
+    return { id: "release-id", name: "release", createdAt: "2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z", commitSha };
+  }
+
+  function deps(overrides: { isAncestor?: boolean; verifyAncestorReachable?: boolean }) {
+    return {
+      isAncestor: vi.fn().mockReturnValue(overrides.isAncestor ?? false),
+      verifyAncestorReachable: vi.fn().mockReturnValue(overrides.verifyAncestorReachable ?? false),
+    };
+  }
+
+  it("returns the anchor when HEAD is strictly behind it", () => {
+    const d = deps({ isAncestor: false, verifyAncestorReachable: true });
+    expect(findAnchorAheadOfHead([release(anchor)], head, d)).toBe(anchor);
+    expect(d.isAncestor).toHaveBeenCalledWith(anchor, head);
+    expect(d.verifyAncestorReachable).toHaveBeenCalledWith(head, anchor);
+  });
+
+  it("returns undefined when the anchor is an ancestor of HEAD, without the reachability walk", () => {
+    const d = deps({ isAncestor: true });
+    expect(findAnchorAheadOfHead([release(anchor)], head, d)).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(d.verifyAncestorReachable).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("returns undefined when HEAD equals the anchor", () => {
+    const d = deps({});
+    expect(findAnchorAheadOfHead([release(head)], head, d)).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(d.isAncestor).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("returns undefined when ancestry cannot be established in either direction", () => {
+    expect(findAnchorAheadOfHead([release(anchor)], head, deps({}))).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("returns undefined when no candidate carries a commit SHA", () => {
+    expect(findAnchorAheadOfHead([release(undefined), release(undefined)], head, deps({}))).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("compares against the first candidate with a commit SHA", () => {
+    const older = "c".repeat(40);
+    const d = deps({ isAncestor: false, verifyAncestorReachable: true });
+    expect(findAnchorAheadOfHead([release(undefined), release(anchor), release(older)], head, d)).toBe(anchor);
+    expect(d.isAncestor).toHaveBeenCalledWith(anchor, head);
+  });
+
+  it("prioritizes the syncing version's stored commit over a more recent release from another train", () => {
+    // Divergent hotfix release ranks first by activity; ancestry to it cannot be established,
+    // but HEAD is strictly behind the syncing version's own stored commit.
+    const hotfix = "d".repeat(40);
+    const d = {
+      isAncestor: vi.fn().mockReturnValue(false),
+      verifyAncestorReachable: vi.fn((sha: string, headSha: string) => headSha === anchor),
+    };
+    const candidates = [
+      { ...release(hotfix), version: "hotfix-1" },
+      { ...release(anchor), version: "v1.2.3" },
+    ];
+    expect(findAnchorAheadOfHead(candidates, head, d, "v1.2.3")).toBe(anchor);
+    expect(d.isAncestor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(d.isAncestor).toHaveBeenCalledWith(anchor, head);
+  });
+
+  it("lets the syncing version's release decide alone when HEAD is at or ahead of it", () => {
+    const newer = "d".repeat(40);
+    const d = {
+      isAncestor: vi.fn((sha: string) => sha === anchor),
+      verifyAncestorReachable: vi.fn().mockReturnValue(true),
+    };
+    const candidates = [
+      { ...release(newer), version: "other" },
+      { ...release(anchor), version: "v1.2.3" },
+    ];
+    expect(findAnchorAheadOfHead(candidates, head, d, "v1.2.3")).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(d.verifyAncestorReachable).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("falls back to the newest anchor when no candidate carries the syncing version", () => {
+    const d = deps({ isAncestor: false, verifyAncestorReachable: true });
+    expect(findAnchorAheadOfHead([release(anchor)], head, d, "v9.9.9")).toBe(anchor);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/scan-base.ts b/src/scan-base.ts
index 8bff0ad..b2e4fa5 100644
--- a/src/scan-base.ts
+++ b/src/scan-base.ts
@@ -79,6 +79,51 @@ export function selectAutomaticScanBase(
   };
 }
 
+export type AnchorComparisonDeps = FindBaseShaDeps & {
+  isAncestor: (sha: string, headSha: string) => boolean;
+};
+
+/**
+ * Returns the stored release anchor when the current HEAD is strictly behind it — the rollback
+ * case, where syncing HEAD as the release commit would rewind the pipeline's scan baseline and
+ * make the next sync re-scan (and re-attach) work that already shipped. When a syncing version is
+ * supplied and a candidate carries it, that release's commit alone decides, since it is the one
+ * the sync would overwrite; the candidate list is ordered by activity, so a release from another
+ * train can sit above it. Otherwise the newest stored anchor is used. Returns undefined when HEAD
+ * is at or ahead of the anchor, when no candidate carries a commit SHA, or when ancestry cannot
+ * be established (unrelated history, unreachable anchor).
+ */
+export function findAnchorAheadOfHead(
+  candidates: Release[],
+  headSha: string,
+  deps: AnchorComparisonDeps,
+  syncingVersion?: string,
+): string | undefined {
+  if (syncingVersion !== undefined) {
+    const versionedSha = candidates.find(
+      (candidate) => candidate.version === syncingVersion && candidate.commitSha,
+    )?.commitSha;
+    if (versionedSha) {
+      return anchorIfAheadOfHead(versionedSha, headSha, deps);
+    }
+  }
+
+  const anchorSha = candidates.find((candidate) => candidate.commitSha)?.commitSha;
+  return anchorSha ? anchorIfAheadOfHead(anchorSha, headSha, deps) : undefined;
+}
+
+function anchorIfAheadOfHead(anchorSha: string, headSha: string, deps: AnchorComparisonDeps): string | undefined {
+  if (anchorSha === headSha) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  // Cheap forward check first: an anchor that is an ancestor of HEAD means HEAD is at or ahead of
+  // it — the common case, answered without deepening a shallow clone.
+  if (deps.isAncestor(anchorSha, headSha)) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  return deps.verifyAncestorReachable(headSha, anchorSha) ? anchorSha : undefined;
+}
+
 export function assertBaseRefIsAncestor(
   baseRef: string,
   resolvedSha: string,