diff --git a/gateway/lifecycle_ledger.py b/gateway/lifecycle_ledger.py
index 9c0732a7aa..a92968cbd5 100644
--- a/gateway/lifecycle_ledger.py
+++ b/gateway/lifecycle_ledger.py
@@ -104,16 +104,17 @@ def _append_exit_diag(record: Dict[str, Any], home: Optional[Path]) -> None:
         logger.debug("Failed to append unclean-exit record", exc_info=True)
 
 
-def _pid_is_sentinel_owner(pid: Any, create_time: Any) -> bool:
+def _pid_is_sentinel_owner(pid: Any, start_time: Any, create_time: Any) -> bool:
     """True when ``pid`` is a live process that is the sentinel's incarnation — guards the
     ``--replace`` race: a live matching owner mid-teardown is a handover, not a death.
 
     Identity is the psutil ``create_time`` the sentinel stamps at claim (epoch seconds, same
-    producer on both sides). The sentinel's ``start_time`` is the ledger claim time and is NOT comparable with
-    ``gateway.status.get_process_start_time`` (proc ticks on Linux, centiseconds elsewhere) — the
-    old comparison never matched, so every ``--replace`` handover read as an unclean death. A
-    sentinel without ``create_time`` (pre-stamp gateway) cannot disambiguate PID reuse; a live PID
-    is taken as the owner, matching the psutil-silent case below."""
+    producer on both sides). The sentinel's ``start_time`` is the ledger claim time and is NOT
+    comparable with ``gateway.status.get_process_start_time`` (proc ticks on Linux, centiseconds
+    elsewhere) — the old comparison never matched, so every ``--replace`` handover read as an
+    unclean death. A pre-stamp sentinel (no ``create_time``) still has ``start_time`` in epoch
+    seconds: the owner was born BEFORE it claimed, a PID reuser AFTER the owner died, so a birth
+    later than the claim is a reuser."""
     try:
         pid_int = int(pid)
         # NOT os.kill(pid, 0): on Windows that sends CTRL_C_EVENT to the target's console group.
@@ -123,12 +124,16 @@ def _pid_is_sentinel_owner(pid: Any, create_time: Any) -> bool:
             return False
     except Exception:
         return False
-    if type(create_time) not in (int, float):
-        return True
     from hermes_cli.process_identity import _process_create_time
 
     actual = _process_create_time(pid_int)
-    return actual is None or abs(actual - float(create_time)) <= 2.0  # None: can't disambiguate PID reuse
+    if actual is None:
+        return True  # can't disambiguate PID reuse
+    if type(create_time) in (int, float):
+        return abs(actual - float(create_time)) <= 2.0
+    if type(start_time) in (int, float):
+        return actual <= float(start_time) + 2.0
+    return True
 
 
 def _suspected_oom(mem: Dict[str, Any]) -> bool:
@@ -149,7 +154,7 @@ def detect_unclean_exit(home: Optional[Path] = None) -> Optional[Dict[str, Any]]
     sentinel = _read_json(get_lifecycle_sentinel_path(home))
     if not sentinel or sentinel.get("phase") != "running":
         return None
-    if _pid_is_sentinel_owner(sentinel.get("pid"), sentinel.get("create_time")):
+    if _pid_is_sentinel_owner(sentinel.get("pid"), sentinel.get("start_time"), sentinel.get("create_time")):
         return None  # live owner — planned takeover in flight, not a death
     evidence: Dict[str, Any] = {
         "prior_pid": sentinel.get("pid"), "prior_started_at": sentinel.get("started_at"),
diff --git a/tests/gateway/test_lifecycle_ledger.py b/tests/gateway/test_lifecycle_ledger.py
index 4796d77be6..54127a6928 100644
--- a/tests/gateway/test_lifecycle_ledger.py
+++ b/tests/gateway/test_lifecycle_ledger.py
@@ -235,9 +235,6 @@ def test_replace_handover_is_not_a_death_and_pid_reuse_is(tmp_path: Path, monkey
     (same producer, epoch seconds). The ledger's ``start_time`` (claim time) is never compared
     with ``get_process_start_time`` (proc ticks / centiseconds): that comparison could not match,
     so a ``--replace`` handover was reported as an unclean death."""
-    from gateway import lifecycle_ledger
-
-    monkeypatch.setattr(lifecycle_ledger, "_pid_exists", lambda pid: True, raising=False)
     monkeypatch.setattr("gateway.status._pid_exists", lambda pid: True)
     monkeypatch.setattr("hermes_cli.process_identity._process_create_time", lambda pid=None: 5000.0)
     live = {"phase": "running", "pid": 4242, "start_time": 5003.7, "started_at": "x"}
@@ -248,5 +245,8 @@ def test_replace_handover_is_not_a_death_and_pid_reuse_is(tmp_path: Path, monkey
     _write_sentinel(tmp_path, {**live, "create_time": 4000.0})
     assert detect_unclean_exit(home=tmp_path) is not None  # PID reused by another process: death
 
-    _write_sentinel(tmp_path, live)  # pre-stamp sentinel: a live PID is taken as the owner
+    # Pre-stamp sentinel (no create_time): the owner was born before it claimed; a reuser after.
+    _write_sentinel(tmp_path, live)  # birth 5000.0 <= claim 5003.7 → owner
     assert detect_unclean_exit(home=tmp_path) is None
+    _write_sentinel(tmp_path, {**live, "start_time": 4000.0})  # born after the claim → reuser → death
+    assert detect_unclean_exit(home=tmp_path) is not None