diff --git a/src/hooks/runtime-fallback/index.test.ts b/src/hooks/runtime-fallback/index.test.ts
index 8e338bdbb..bb0dbb66b 100644
--- a/src/hooks/runtime-fallback/index.test.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/runtime-fallback/index.test.ts
@@ -2917,6 +2917,80 @@ describe("runtime-fallback", () => {
       expect(skipLog).toBeDefined()
     })
 
+    test("#given a dispatched fallback retry #when stale original assistant error arrives before duplicate session.error #then only one assistant retry prompt is sent", async () => {
+      const promptCalls: Array<unknown> = []
+
+      const hook = createRuntimeFallbackHook(
+        createMockPluginInput({
+          session: {
+            messages: async () => ({
+              data: [{ info: { role: "user" }, parts: [{ type: "text", text: "hello" }] }],
+            }),
+            promptAsync: async (args: unknown) => {
+              promptCalls.push(args)
+              return {}
+            },
+          },
+        }),
+        {
+          config: createMockConfig({ notify_on_fallback: false }),
+          pluginConfig: {
+            git_master: {
+              commit_footer: true,
+              include_co_authored_by: true,
+              git_env_prefix: "GIT_MASTER=1",
+            },
+            categories: {
+              test: {
+                fallback_models: ["provider-a/model-a", "provider-b/model-b"],
+              },
+            },
+          },
+        }
+      )
+      const sessionID = "test-race-stale-message-update-before-error"
+      SessionCategoryRegistry.register(sessionID, "test")
+
+      await hook.event({
+        event: {
+          type: "session.created",
+          properties: { info: { id: sessionID, model: "google/gemini-2.5-pro" } },
+        },
+      })
+
+      await hook.event({
+        event: {
+          type: "session.error",
+          properties: { sessionID, model: "google/gemini-2.5-pro", error: { statusCode: 429, message: "Rate limit" } },
+        },
+      })
+      await hook.event({
+        event: {
+          type: "message.updated",
+          properties: {
+            info: {
+              sessionID,
+              role: "assistant",
+              model: "google/gemini-2.5-pro",
+              error: { statusCode: 429, message: "Rate limit" },
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      })
+      await hook.event({
+        event: {
+          type: "session.error",
+          properties: { sessionID, model: "google/gemini-2.5-pro", error: { statusCode: 429, message: "Rate limit" } },
+        },
+      })
+
+      expect(promptCalls).toHaveLength(1)
+      const fallbackLogs = logCalls.filter((call) => call.msg.includes("Preparing fallback"))
+      expect(fallbackLogs).toHaveLength(1)
+      const skipLog = logCalls.find((call) => call.msg.includes("session.error skipped - awaiting fallback result"))
+      expect(skipLog).toBeDefined()
+    })
+
     test("session.stop aborts when sessionAwaitingFallbackResult is set", async () => {
       const abortCalls: Array<{ path?: { id?: string } }> = []
 
diff --git a/src/hooks/runtime-fallback/message-update-handler.ts b/src/hooks/runtime-fallback/message-update-handler.ts
index 00b5f6cc9..88c2a69c4 100644
--- a/src/hooks/runtime-fallback/message-update-handler.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/runtime-fallback/message-update-handler.ts
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ export function createMessageUpdateHandler(deps: HookDeps, helpers: AutoRetryHel
       sessionAwaitingFallbackResult.delete(sessionID)
       sessionStatusRetryKeys.delete(sessionID)
       helpers.clearSessionFallbackTimeout(sessionID)
-      const state = sessionStates.get(sessionID)
+      let state = sessionStates.get(sessionID)
       if (state?.pendingFallbackModel) {
         state.pendingFallbackModel = undefined
       }
@@ -67,7 +67,25 @@ export function createMessageUpdateHandler(deps: HookDeps, helpers: AutoRetryHel
     }
 
     if (sessionID && role === "assistant" && error) {
-      const wasAwaitingFallbackResult = sessionAwaitingFallbackResult.delete(sessionID)
+      let state = sessionStates.get(sessionID)
+      const pendingFallbackModel = state?.pendingFallbackModel
+      const wasAwaitingFallbackResult = sessionAwaitingFallbackResult.has(sessionID)
+      if (
+        wasAwaitingFallbackResult &&
+        pendingFallbackModel &&
+        !retrySignal &&
+        model !== pendingFallbackModel
+      ) {
+        log(`[${HOOK_NAME}] message.updated fallback skipped - awaiting fallback result`, {
+          sessionID,
+          pendingFallbackModel,
+          model,
+        })
+        return
+      }
+      if (wasAwaitingFallbackResult) {
+        sessionAwaitingFallbackResult.delete(sessionID)
+      }
       if (sessionRetryInFlight.has(sessionID) && !retrySignal) {
         log(`[${HOOK_NAME}] message.updated fallback skipped (retry in flight)`, { sessionID })
         return
@@ -108,7 +126,6 @@ export function createMessageUpdateHandler(deps: HookDeps, helpers: AutoRetryHel
         return
       }
 
-      let state = sessionStates.get(sessionID)
       const agent = info?.agent as string | undefined
       const resolvedAgent = await helpers.resolveAgentForSessionFromContext(sessionID, agent)
       const fallbackModels = getFallbackModelsForSession(sessionID, resolvedAgent, pluginConfig)