diff --git a/swarm-controller/src/main.rs b/swarm-controller/src/main.rs
index 1ad2af1d..d7657dfb 100644
--- a/swarm-controller/src/main.rs
+++ b/swarm-controller/src/main.rs
@@ -914,9 +914,22 @@ async fn create_agent(
                 })
                 .after_ok(create_repo)
                 .after_ok(create_forge_user);
-            let _init_config = b
-                .node(SwarmNodeKind::InitAgentConfigRepo { agent })
+            let init_config = b
+                .node(SwarmNodeKind::InitAgentConfigRepo {
+                    agent: agent.clone(),
+                })
                 .after_ok(create_repo);
+            // Last, and specifically after the config repo is seeded: the
+            // hive deploys by reading that repo, so a deploy asked for any
+            // earlier would find nothing to build. This is the edge that
+            // makes creating an agent at swarm level actually put it on a
+            // hive, rather than leaving a provisioned name nobody runs.
+            let _trigger_deploy = b
+                .node(SwarmNodeKind::TriggerDeploy {
+                    hive: hive.clone(),
+                    agent,
+                })
+                .after_ok(init_config);
             vec![create_identity.guid()]
         })
         .map_err(|e| {
@@ -1529,6 +1542,7 @@ mod tests {
         let deps = WorkerDeps {
             auth: None,
             forge: None,
+            queue: None,
         };
         let runner =
             hive_jobq::scheduler::Scheduler::claim_next(&sched, move |id, kind, builder| {
@@ -1580,6 +1594,7 @@ mod tests {
         let deps = WorkerDeps {
             auth: None,
             forge: None,
+            queue: None,
         };
         let runner =
             hive_jobq::scheduler::Scheduler::claim_next(&sched, move |id, kind, builder| {