diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/auto_update.rs b/hive-c0re/src/auto_update.rs
index ad3db22..537da80 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/auto_update.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/auto_update.rs
@@ -59,6 +59,11 @@ pub async fn rebuild_agent(coord: &Arc<Coordinator>, name: &str, current_rev: &s
     let applied_dir = Coordinator::agent_applied_dir(name);
     let claude_dir = Coordinator::agent_claude_dir(name);
     let notes_dir = Coordinator::agent_notes_dir(name);
+    // Suppress crash_watch during the stop+start window inside
+    // lifecycle::rebuild. Dashboard rebuilds already do this via
+    // lifecycle_action; this catches the auto-update scan + any
+    // other direct caller.
+    coord.set_transient(name, crate::coordinator::TransientKind::Rebuilding);
     let result = lifecycle::rebuild(
         name,
         &coord.hyperhive_flake,
@@ -69,6 +74,7 @@ pub async fn rebuild_agent(coord: &Arc<Coordinator>, name: &str, current_rev: &s
         coord.dashboard_port,
     )
     .await;
+    coord.clear_transient(name);
     match &result {
         Ok(()) => {
             if let Err(e) = std::fs::write(rev_marker_path(name), current_rev) {
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/migrate.rs b/hive-c0re/src/migrate.rs
index aab8d03..b613755 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/migrate.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/migrate.rs
@@ -74,7 +74,15 @@ pub async fn run(coord: &Arc<Coordinator>) -> Result<()> {
     }
     let mut all_ok = true;
     for name in &names {
-        if let Err(e) = repoint_container(name).await {
+        // Mark Rebuilding so the crash watcher skips this container
+        // during the brief stop+start window the nixos-container
+        // update activation triggers. Without this, crash_watch
+        // would fire ContainerCrash for every agent here and the
+        // manager would spuriously try to recover them.
+        coord.set_transient(name, crate::coordinator::TransientKind::Rebuilding);
+        let result = repoint_container(name).await;
+        coord.clear_transient(name);
+        if let Err(e) = result {
             tracing::warn!(%name, error = ?e, "migration: container repoint failed");
             all_ok = false;
         }