diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/swarm_status.rs b/hive-c0re/src/swarm_status.rs
index 5756bc97..33d191c7 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/swarm_status.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/swarm_status.rs
@@ -358,8 +358,13 @@ async fn handle_deploy_request(
 /// deployed yet and queues again: the rebuild resolves its pins from
 /// `internal/meta` either way, so a second one is redundant but harmless.
 fn rev_already_deployed(agent: &str, rev: &str) -> bool {
-    std::fs::read_to_string(crate::paths::applied_config_marker(agent))
-        .is_ok_and(|deployed| deployed.trim() == rev)
+    marker_holds(&crate::paths::applied_config_marker(agent), rev)
+}
+
+/// Whether the marker file at `marker` holds exactly `rev`; an absent or
+/// unreadable marker holds nothing.
+fn marker_holds(marker: &std::path::Path, rev: &str) -> bool {
+    std::fs::read_to_string(marker).is_ok_and(|deployed| deployed.trim() == rev)
 }
 
 /// Queue the first deploy of an agent this hive does not have yet: seed its
@@ -406,3 +411,19 @@ async fn publish(client: &async_nats::Client, hive: &str) -> Result<()> {
         .with_context(|| format!("publishing the status snapshot for {hive}"))?;
     Ok(())
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod rev_marker_tests {
+    use super::marker_holds;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn a_rev_is_deployed_only_when_the_marker_holds_it() {
+        let dir = tempfile::tempdir().expect("tempdir");
+        let marker = dir.path().join(".alice.config-rev");
+
+        assert!(!marker_holds(&marker, "aaa"), "no marker, nothing deployed");
+        std::fs::write(&marker, "aaa").expect("write marker");
+        assert!(marker_holds(&marker, "aaa"));
+        assert!(!marker_holds(&marker, "bbb"), "another rev still deploys");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/workers/auto_update.rs b/hive-c0re/src/workers/auto_update.rs
index 02f979a6..17fcd8a8 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/workers/auto_update.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/workers/auto_update.rs
@@ -52,7 +52,13 @@ pub fn current_flake_rev(hyperhive_flake: &str) -> Option<String> {
 #[must_use]
 pub fn agent_config_pending(name: &str, deployed: Option<&str>) -> bool {
     let pinned = crate::meta_rev::recorded(name).and_then(|build| build.config);
-    match (pinned.as_deref(), deployed) {
+    config_pending(pinned.as_deref(), deployed)
+}
+
+/// The comparison behind [`agent_config_pending`]: pending only when both
+/// commits are known and differ.
+fn config_pending(pinned: Option<&str>, deployed: Option<&str>) -> bool {
+    match (pinned, deployed) {
         (Some(pinned), Some(deployed)) => pinned != deployed.trim(),
         _ => false,
     }
@@ -284,7 +290,7 @@ fn submit_boot_tree(
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
-    use super::{BootAction, boot_action};
+    use super::{BootAction, boot_action, config_pending};
     use crate::power::Wanted;
 
     // The regression the `Unreadable` variant exists for: the arm used to
@@ -350,4 +356,15 @@ mod tests {
             BootAction::Defer { reconcile: true }
         );
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn config_is_pending_only_when_the_pins_differ() {
+        assert!(config_pending(Some("bbb"), Some("aaa")));
+        assert!(
+            !config_pending(Some("aaa"), Some("aaa\n")),
+            "marker newline"
+        );
+        assert!(!config_pending(None, Some("aaa")), "archetype agent");
+        assert!(!config_pending(Some("aaa"), None), "never built");
+    }
 }