diff --git a/backend/internal/cli/root_test.go b/backend/internal/cli/root_test.go
index 73387be88..307b80a57 100644
--- a/backend/internal/cli/root_test.go
+++ b/backend/internal/cli/root_test.go
@@ -153,6 +153,81 @@ func TestStopDoesNotSignalUnverifiedReusedPID(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestStatusKeepsLiveProbeFailureUnhealthy(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := setConfigEnv(t)
+	if err := runfile.Write(cfg.runFile, runfile.Info{PID: 4242, Port: closedPort(t), StartedAt: time.Unix(100, 0).UTC()}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	out, _, err := executeCLI(t, Deps{
+		ProcessAlive: func(pid int) bool { return pid == 4242 },
+	}, "status", "--json")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(out, `"state": "unhealthy"`) {
+		t.Fatalf("status should keep live probe failures unhealthy:\n%s", out)
+	}
+	info, err := runfile.Read(cfg.runFile)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if info == nil {
+		t.Fatal("live probe failure should not remove run-file")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestStopRefusesUnverifiedLivePID(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := setConfigEnv(t)
+	if err := runfile.Write(cfg.runFile, runfile.Info{PID: 4242, Port: closedPort(t), StartedAt: time.Unix(100, 0).UTC()}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	var signaled bool
+	_, _, 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("stop should fail when daemon ownership cannot be verified")
+	}
+	if signaled {
+		t.Fatal("stop signaled a PID whose ownership was unknown")
+	}
+	info, err := runfile.Read(cfg.runFile)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if info == nil {
+		t.Fatal("unverified live PID should remain tracked")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestStartDoesNotSpawnWhenLiveProbeFails(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := setConfigEnv(t)
+	if err := runfile.Write(cfg.runFile, runfile.Info{PID: 4242, Port: closedPort(t), StartedAt: time.Unix(100, 0).UTC()}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	var started bool
+	_, _, err := executeCLI(t, Deps{
+		ProcessAlive: func(pid int) bool { return pid == 4242 },
+		StartProcess: func(processStartConfig) (processHandle, error) {
+			started = true
+			return processHandle{}, nil
+		},
+	}, "start", "--timeout", "1ns", "--json")
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("start should fail instead of spawning over a live unverified PID")
+	}
+	if started {
+		t.Fatal("start spawned while run-file PID was still alive")
+	}
+}
+
 type testConfig struct {
 	runFile string
 	dataDir string
@@ -203,3 +278,22 @@ func serverPort(t *testing.T, raw string) int {
 	}
 	return port
 }
+
+func closedPort(t *testing.T) int {
+	t.Helper()
+	ln, err := net.Listen("tcp", "127.0.0.1:0")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer ln.Close()
+
+	_, portRaw, err := net.SplitHostPort(ln.Addr().String())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	port, err := strconv.Atoi(portRaw)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	return port
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/cli/status.go b/backend/internal/cli/status.go
index ea6cb5280..85cbf5ac6 100644
--- a/backend/internal/cli/status.go
+++ b/backend/internal/cli/status.go
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ func (c *commandContext) inspectDaemon(ctx context.Context) (daemonStatus, error
 
 	health, err := c.readProbe(ctx, info.Port, "healthz")
 	if err != nil {
-		st.State = "stale"
+		st.State = "unhealthy"
 		st.Error = err.Error()
 		return st, nil
 	}
diff --git a/backend/internal/cli/stop.go b/backend/internal/cli/stop.go
index 1b6269409..f6817c0fd 100644
--- a/backend/internal/cli/stop.go
+++ b/backend/internal/cli/stop.go
@@ -62,10 +62,10 @@ 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
+		if st.Error != "" {
+			return daemonStatus{}, fmt.Errorf("daemon pid %d is alive but ownership could not be verified: %s", st.PID, st.Error)
 		}
-		return daemonStatus{State: "stopped", RunFile: cfg.RunFilePath, DataDir: cfg.DataDir}, nil
+		return daemonStatus{}, fmt.Errorf("daemon pid %d is alive but ownership could not be verified", st.PID)
 	}
 
 	if err := c.deps.SignalTerm(st.PID); err != nil {