diff --git a/backend/internal/cli/root_test.go b/backend/internal/cli/root_test.go
index 119bf16aa..73387be88 100644
--- a/backend/internal/cli/root_test.go
+++ b/backend/internal/cli/root_test.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package cli
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
 	"net"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/http/httptest"
@@ -13,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/aoagents/agent-orchestrator/backend/internal/daemonmeta"
 	"github.com/aoagents/agent-orchestrator/backend/internal/runfile"
 )
 
@@ -51,9 +53,9 @@ func TestStartReturnsExistingReadyDaemon(t *testing.T) {
 	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		switch r.URL.Path {
 		case "/healthz":
-			_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"status":"ok"}`))
+			_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(w, `{"status":"ok","service":%q,"pid":%d}`, daemonmeta.ServiceName, os.Getpid())
 		case "/readyz":
-			_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"status":"ready"}`))
+			_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(w, `{"status":"ready","service":%q,"pid":%d}`, daemonmeta.ServiceName, os.Getpid())
 		default:
 			http.NotFound(w, r)
 		}
@@ -107,6 +109,50 @@ func TestStopRemovesStaleRunFile(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestStopDoesNotSignalUnverifiedReusedPID(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := setConfigEnv(t)
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		switch r.URL.Path {
+		case "/healthz":
+			_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"status":"ok"}`))
+		case "/readyz":
+			_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"status":"ready"}`))
+		default:
+			http.NotFound(w, r)
+		}
+	}))
+	defer srv.Close()
+
+	if err := runfile.Write(cfg.runFile, runfile.Info{PID: 4242, Port: serverPort(t, srv.URL), StartedAt: time.Unix(100, 0).UTC()}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	var signaled bool
+	out, _, err := executeCLI(t, Deps{
+		ProcessAlive: func(pid int) bool { return pid == 4242 },
+		SignalTerm: func(pid int) error {
+			signaled = true
+			return nil
+		},
+	}, "stop", "--json")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if signaled {
+		t.Fatal("stop signaled a PID whose health probe did not prove AO daemon ownership")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(out, `"state": "stopped"`) {
+		t.Fatalf("stop did not report stopped:\n%s", out)
+	}
+	info, err := runfile.Read(cfg.runFile)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if info != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unverified run-file was not removed: %#v", info)
+	}
+}
+
 type testConfig struct {
 	runFile string
 	dataDir string
diff --git a/backend/internal/cli/status.go b/backend/internal/cli/status.go
index 04fd755b4..ea6cb5280 100644
--- a/backend/internal/cli/status.go
+++ b/backend/internal/cli/status.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 
 	"github.com/aoagents/agent-orchestrator/backend/internal/config"
+	"github.com/aoagents/agent-orchestrator/backend/internal/daemonmeta"
 	"github.com/aoagents/agent-orchestrator/backend/internal/runfile"
 )
 
@@ -30,6 +31,13 @@ type daemonStatus struct {
 	Health    string     `json:"health,omitempty"`
 	Ready     string     `json:"ready,omitempty"`
 	Error     string     `json:"error,omitempty"`
+	owned     bool
+}
+
+type probeResult struct {
+	Status  string `json:"status"`
+	Service string `json:"service"`
+	PID     int    `json:"pid"`
 }
 
 func newStatusCommand(ctx *commandContext) *cobra.Command {
@@ -81,11 +89,21 @@ func (c *commandContext) inspectDaemon(ctx context.Context) (daemonStatus, error
 
 	health, err := c.readProbe(ctx, info.Port, "healthz")
 	if err != nil {
-		st.State = "unhealthy"
+		st.State = "stale"
 		st.Error = err.Error()
 		return st, nil
 	}
-	st.Health = health
+	if err := verifyProbeOwner(health, info.PID, "healthz"); err != nil {
+		st.State = "stale"
+		st.Error = err.Error()
+		return st, nil
+	}
+	st.owned = true
+	st.Health = health.Status
+	if health.Status != "ok" {
+		st.State = "unhealthy"
+		return st, nil
+	}
 
 	ready, err := c.readProbe(ctx, info.Port, "readyz")
 	if err != nil {
@@ -93,8 +111,14 @@ func (c *commandContext) inspectDaemon(ctx context.Context) (daemonStatus, error
 		st.Error = err.Error()
 		return st, nil
 	}
-	st.Ready = ready
-	if ready == "ready" {
+	if err := verifyProbeOwner(ready, info.PID, "readyz"); err != nil {
+		st.State = "stale"
+		st.owned = false
+		st.Error = err.Error()
+		return st, nil
+	}
+	st.Ready = ready.Status
+	if ready.Status == "ready" {
 		st.State = "ready"
 		return st, nil
 	}
@@ -102,32 +126,40 @@ func (c *commandContext) inspectDaemon(ctx context.Context) (daemonStatus, error
 	return st, nil
 }
 
-func (c *commandContext) readProbe(ctx context.Context, port int, path string) (string, error) {
+func (c *commandContext) readProbe(ctx context.Context, port int, path string) (probeResult, error) {
 	reqCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, probeTimeout)
 	defer cancel()
 
 	req, err := http.NewRequestWithContext(reqCtx, http.MethodGet, fmt.Sprintf("http://%s:%d/%s", config.LoopbackHost, port, path), nil)
 	if err != nil {
-		return "", err
+		return probeResult{}, err
 	}
 	resp, err := c.deps.HTTPClient.Do(req)
 	if err != nil {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("%s: %w", path, err)
+		return probeResult{}, fmt.Errorf("%s: %w", path, err)
 	}
 	defer resp.Body.Close()
 	if resp.StatusCode < 200 || resp.StatusCode >= 300 {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("%s: HTTP %d", path, resp.StatusCode)
-	}
-	var body struct {
-		Status string `json:"status"`
+		return probeResult{}, fmt.Errorf("%s: HTTP %d", path, resp.StatusCode)
 	}
+	var body probeResult
 	if err := json.NewDecoder(resp.Body).Decode(&body); err != nil {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("%s: decode response: %w", path, err)
+		return probeResult{}, fmt.Errorf("%s: decode response: %w", path, err)
 	}
 	if body.Status == "" {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("%s: missing status", path)
+		return probeResult{}, fmt.Errorf("%s: missing status", path)
 	}
-	return body.Status, nil
+	return body, nil
+}
+
+func verifyProbeOwner(probe probeResult, wantPID int, path string) error {
+	if probe.Service != daemonmeta.ServiceName {
+		return fmt.Errorf("%s: response is not from AO daemon", path)
+	}
+	if probe.PID != wantPID {
+		return fmt.Errorf("%s: daemon pid %d does not match run-file pid %d", path, probe.PID, wantPID)
+	}
+	return nil
 }
 
 func writeStatus(cmd *cobra.Command, st daemonStatus) error {
diff --git a/backend/internal/cli/stop.go b/backend/internal/cli/stop.go
index 5ce43b4fc..1b6269409 100644
--- a/backend/internal/cli/stop.go
+++ b/backend/internal/cli/stop.go
@@ -61,6 +61,12 @@ func (c *commandContext) stopDaemon(ctx context.Context, opts stopOptions) (daem
 		}
 		return daemonStatus{State: "stopped", RunFile: cfg.RunFilePath, DataDir: cfg.DataDir}, nil
 	}
+	if !st.owned {
+		if err := runfile.Remove(cfg.RunFilePath); err != nil {
+			return daemonStatus{}, err
+		}
+		return daemonStatus{State: "stopped", RunFile: cfg.RunFilePath, DataDir: cfg.DataDir}, nil
+	}
 
 	if err := c.deps.SignalTerm(st.PID); err != nil {
 		if c.deps.ProcessAlive(st.PID) {
diff --git a/backend/internal/daemonmeta/meta.go b/backend/internal/daemonmeta/meta.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..72f322e5c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/daemonmeta/meta.go
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+package daemonmeta
+
+// ServiceName identifies the AO daemon in loopback health/readiness probes.
+// The CLI uses it with the reported PID to avoid signaling an unrelated process
+// when a stale run-file's PID has been reused.
+const ServiceName = "agent-orchestrator-daemon"
diff --git a/backend/internal/httpd/router.go b/backend/internal/httpd/router.go
index 019f7efe9..6f142d136 100644
--- a/backend/internal/httpd/router.go
+++ b/backend/internal/httpd/router.go
@@ -7,11 +7,13 @@ package httpd
 import (
 	"log/slog"
 	"net/http"
+	"os"
 
 	"github.com/go-chi/chi/v5"
 	"github.com/go-chi/chi/v5/middleware"
 
 	"github.com/aoagents/agent-orchestrator/backend/internal/config"
+	"github.com/aoagents/agent-orchestrator/backend/internal/daemonmeta"
 	"github.com/aoagents/agent-orchestrator/backend/internal/terminal"
 )
 
@@ -68,12 +70,20 @@ func mountHealth(r chi.Router) {
 // handleHealthz is the liveness probe: it answers 200 as long as the process is
 // up and serving. It does no dependency checks by design.
 func handleHealthz(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
-	writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, map[string]string{"status": "ok"})
+	writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, map[string]any{
+		"status":  "ok",
+		"service": daemonmeta.ServiceName,
+		"pid":     os.Getpid(),
+	})
 }
 
 // handleReadyz is the readiness probe. In the 1a skeleton the daemon is ready
 // as soon as it is listening; later phases will gate this on dependency
 // initialisation (e.g. store/event-bus warm-up).
 func handleReadyz(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
-	writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, map[string]string{"status": "ready"})
+	writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, map[string]any{
+		"status":  "ready",
+		"service": daemonmeta.ServiceName,
+		"pid":     os.Getpid(),
+	})
 }