diff --git a/server/cmd/server/comment_at_least_once_test.go b/server/cmd/server/comment_at_least_once_test.go
index 8683d17b5e..680ea3edff 100644
--- a/server/cmd/server/comment_at_least_once_test.go
+++ b/server/cmd/server/comment_at_least_once_test.go
@@ -308,3 +308,103 @@ func taskOriginator(t *testing.T, issueID, agentID string) string {
 	}
 	return originator
 }
+
+// TestMergeCommentIntoPendingTask_TargetsQueuedNotDeferred is the MUL-4195
+// round-4 regression test. When a `(issue, agent)` pair has BOTH an older
+// queued task (the run about to be claimed) and a newer deferred
+// assignee-fallback task, a new comment's merge must land on the QUEUED task —
+// the one that will actually run next — not the newer deferred fallback. An
+// earlier `status IN ('queued','deferred') ORDER BY created_at DESC` target
+// picked the deferred row, so the comment missed the imminent run and the
+// deferred fallback could later promote into a duplicate. The merge now matches
+// `status = 'queued'` only; the deferred row is left to its own escalation
+// lifecycle.
+func TestMergeCommentIntoPendingTask_TargetsQueuedNotDeferred(t *testing.T) {
+	if testPool == nil {
+		t.Skip("no database connection")
+	}
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	queries := db.New(testPool)
+
+	agentID := getAgentID(t)
+	issueID := createIssueAssignedToAgent(t, "Merge target queued-vs-deferred test", agentID)
+	clearTasks(t, issueID)
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		clearTasks(t, issueID)
+		resp := authRequest(t, "DELETE", "/api/issues/"+issueID, nil)
+		resp.Body.Close()
+	})
+
+	now := time.Now()
+	cidQueued := insertCommentAt(t, issueID, "member", testUserID, "queued task trigger", now.Add(-3*time.Minute))
+	cidDeferred := insertCommentAt(t, issueID, "member", testUserID, "deferred fallback trigger", now.Add(-2*time.Minute))
+	cidNew := insertCommentAt(t, issueID, "member", testUserID, "new comment, must fold into queued", now.Add(-1*time.Minute))
+
+	var runtimeID string
+	if err := testPool.QueryRow(ctx, `SELECT runtime_id FROM agent WHERE id = $1`, agentID).Scan(&runtimeID); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("load runtime: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Older queued task (the imminent run) ...
+	var queuedTaskID string
+	if err := testPool.QueryRow(ctx, `
+		INSERT INTO agent_task_queue (agent_id, runtime_id, issue_id, trigger_comment_id, status, priority, created_at)
+		VALUES ($1, $2, $3, $4, 'queued', 0, now() - interval '3 minutes')
+		RETURNING id
+	`, agentID, runtimeID, issueID, cidQueued).Scan(&queuedTaskID); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("seed queued task: %v", err)
+	}
+	// ... and a NEWER deferred assignee-fallback task for the same (issue, agent).
+	var deferredTaskID string
+	if err := testPool.QueryRow(ctx, `
+		INSERT INTO agent_task_queue (agent_id, runtime_id, issue_id, trigger_comment_id, status, priority, created_at, fire_at)
+		VALUES ($1, $2, $3, $4, 'deferred', 0, now() - interval '2 minutes', now() + interval '5 minutes')
+		RETURNING id
+	`, agentID, runtimeID, issueID, cidDeferred).Scan(&deferredTaskID); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("seed deferred task: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	row, err := queries.MergeCommentIntoPendingTask(ctx, db.MergeCommentIntoPendingTaskParams{
+		IssueID:             toPgUUID(t, issueID),
+		AgentID:             toPgUUID(t, agentID),
+		NewTriggerCommentID: toPgUUID(t, cidNew),
+		NewOriginatorUserID: toPgUUID(t, testUserID),
+		NewTriggerSummary:   pgtype.Text{String: "new comment", Valid: true},
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("merge should target the queued task, got %v", err)
+	}
+	// The merge must have hit the QUEUED task, not the deferred one.
+	if got := pgUUIDToText(row.ID); got != queuedTaskID {
+		t.Fatalf("merge must target the queued task %s, got %s", queuedTaskID, got)
+	}
+
+	// Queued task: trigger repointed to the new comment, old trigger coalesced.
+	var queuedTrigger string
+	var queuedCoalesced []string
+	if err := testPool.QueryRow(ctx, `
+		SELECT trigger_comment_id::text, coalesced_comment_ids::text[] FROM agent_task_queue WHERE id = $1
+	`, queuedTaskID).Scan(&queuedTrigger, &queuedCoalesced); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read queued task: %v", err)
+	}
+	if queuedTrigger != cidNew {
+		t.Errorf("queued task trigger must be repointed to %s, got %s", cidNew, queuedTrigger)
+	}
+	if !containsID(queuedCoalesced, cidQueued) {
+		t.Errorf("queued task must coalesce its old trigger %s, got %v", cidQueued, queuedCoalesced)
+	}
+
+	// Deferred fallback must be UNTOUCHED (still its own trigger, still deferred).
+	var deferredTrigger, deferredStatus string
+	if err := testPool.QueryRow(ctx, `
+		SELECT trigger_comment_id::text, status FROM agent_task_queue WHERE id = $1
+	`, deferredTaskID).Scan(&deferredTrigger, &deferredStatus); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read deferred task: %v", err)
+	}
+	if deferredTrigger != cidDeferred {
+		t.Errorf("deferred fallback trigger must be untouched (%s), got %s", cidDeferred, deferredTrigger)
+	}
+	if deferredStatus != "deferred" {
+		t.Errorf("deferred fallback status must stay 'deferred', got %s", deferredStatus)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/server/internal/handler/comment.go b/server/internal/handler/comment.go
index ecfc764913..10534a1980 100644
--- a/server/internal/handler/comment.go
+++ b/server/internal/handler/comment.go
@@ -1399,16 +1399,16 @@ func (h *Handler) enqueueCommentAgentTriggers(ctx context.Context, issue db.Issu
 		if trigger.AlreadyPending {
 			// MUL-4195: a queued/dispatched task for this (issue, agent)
 			// already exists. Historically we DROPPED the comment here, losing
-			// the user's follow-up instruction. Instead try to fold it into a
-			// not-yet-claimed (queued/deferred) task so a single run still
-			// covers every comment, re-stamping the run's originator/overlay to
-			// the new comment (mergeCommentIntoPendingTask).
+			// the user's follow-up instruction. Instead try to fold it into the
+			// queued (not-yet-claimed) task so a single run still covers every
+			// comment, re-stamping the run's originator/overlay to the new
+			// comment (mergeCommentIntoPendingTask).
 			if h.mergeCommentIntoPendingTask(ctx, issue, trigger, triggerCommentID) {
 				continue
 			}
-			// The merge found no pre-claim task to fold into: the existing task
-			// is already dispatched/running (its claim response is built), or a
-			// mismatched pre-claim row was just claimed. We must NOT enqueue a
+			// The merge found no queued task to fold into: the existing task
+			// is already dispatched/running (its claim response is built), or
+			// the queued row was just claimed. We must NOT enqueue a
 			// fresh queued task in that case — a dispatched sibling would trip
 			// the idx_one_pending_task_per_issue_agent unique index (dropping
 			// the comment again) and even where the index allows it we'd risk a
@@ -1453,11 +1453,11 @@ func (h *Handler) hasActiveTaskForIssueAndAgent(ctx context.Context, issueID, ag
 // fresh task and the deliberate comment is never lost.
 //
 // The merge is GATED on the originator being unchanged (MUL-4195 review
-// mergeCommentIntoPendingTask folds a newly-arrived comment into an existing
-// NOT-YET-CLAIMED (queued/deferred) task for (issue, agent) instead of dropping
-// it (MUL-4195). Returns true when the comment was handled (merged, or a
+// mergeCommentIntoPendingTask folds a newly-arrived comment into the existing
+// QUEUED (not-yet-claimed) task for (issue, agent) instead of dropping it
+// (MUL-4195). Returns true when the comment was handled (merged, or a
 // non-fatal DB error we deliberately do not turn into a duplicate). Returns
-// false only when no pre-claim task exists to merge into (pgx.ErrNoRows) — the
+// false only when no queued task exists to merge into (pgx.ErrNoRows) — the
 // existing task is already dispatched/running, or was just claimed — in which
 // case the caller decides between deferring to completion reconcile and a fresh
 // enqueue.
diff --git a/server/pkg/db/generated/agent.sql.go b/server/pkg/db/generated/agent.sql.go
index 8e9f2ac9ab..ee41864fb6 100644
--- a/server/pkg/db/generated/agent.sql.go
+++ b/server/pkg/db/generated/agent.sql.go
@@ -3194,7 +3194,7 @@ WHERE id = (
     SELECT t.id FROM agent_task_queue t
     WHERE t.issue_id = $6
       AND t.agent_id = $7
-      AND t.status IN ('queued', 'deferred')
+      AND t.status = 'queued'
     ORDER BY t.created_at DESC
     LIMIT 1
 )
@@ -3224,16 +3224,22 @@ type MergeCommentIntoPendingTaskRow struct {
 // the latest deliberate instruction while the single run is still told to
 // address every folded comment.
 //
-// Target is restricted to PRE-CLAIM states — 'queued' and 'deferred' — on
-// purpose (MUL-4195 review must-fix #2). A 'dispatched' / 'waiting_local_directory'
-// / 'running' task has already had its claim response (with its
-// coalesced_comment_ids) built and shipped to the daemon; folding a comment in
-// after that point would add it to coalesced_comment_ids WITHOUT the daemon ever
-// seeing it, making an undelivered comment look delivered. Those post-claim
-// comments are handled by completion reconciliation instead, which anchors on
-// dispatched_at and sweeps every member comment the run did not deliver. Because
-// merges only ever touch pre-claim rows, coalesced_comment_ids == the set the
-// run actually received.
+// Target is restricted to the single 'queued' task on purpose (MUL-4195 review
+// rounds 2–4). This merge is only reached when HasPendingTaskForIssueAndAgent
+// matched a 'queued'/'dispatched' task, and 'dispatched' is deliberately NOT a
+// target: a dispatched / waiting_local_directory / running task has already had
+// its claim response (with its coalesced_comment_ids) built and shipped, so
+// folding a comment in afterward would mark an undelivered comment as delivered;
+// those are handled by completion reconciliation instead. 'deferred' is also NOT
+// a target: a deferred row is an assignee-fallback escalation with its own
+// fire_at/promotion lifecycle, and it never sets AlreadyPending
+// (HasPendingTaskForIssueAndAgent only looks at queued/dispatched). If a newer
+// deferred fallback and an older queued task coexisted, a status-IN target would
+// pick the deferred one by created_at and steal the coalescing target away from
+// the queued run that is actually about to be claimed — so we match ONLY the
+// queued row (the idx_one_pending_task_per_issue_agent unique index guarantees
+// at most one). Because merges only ever touch that pre-claim queued row,
+// coalesced_comment_ids == the set the run actually received.
 //
 // Recompute-on-merge (MUL-4195 review must-fix #1): originator_user_id,
 // runtime_mcp_overlay and runtime_connected_apps are re-stamped to the NEW
@@ -3248,7 +3254,7 @@ type MergeCommentIntoPendingTaskRow struct {
 // index allows only one queued/dispatched task per (issue, agent)) and therefore
 // silently dropped the mismatched-originator comment.
 //
-// Returns pgx.ErrNoRows when no pre-claim task exists (it was claimed/started
+// Returns pgx.ErrNoRows when no queued task exists (it was claimed/started
 // between the dedup check and this call, or the only task is already
 // dispatched/running). The caller must NOT blindly enqueue a fresh task in that
 // case — a dispatched sibling would trip the unique index — it defers to
diff --git a/server/pkg/db/queries/agent.sql b/server/pkg/db/queries/agent.sql
index b1a0615196..d37faee61b 100644
--- a/server/pkg/db/queries/agent.sql
+++ b/server/pkg/db/queries/agent.sql
@@ -739,16 +739,22 @@ WHERE issue_id = @issue_id
 -- the latest deliberate instruction while the single run is still told to
 -- address every folded comment.
 --
--- Target is restricted to PRE-CLAIM states — 'queued' and 'deferred' — on
--- purpose (MUL-4195 review must-fix #2). A 'dispatched' / 'waiting_local_directory'
--- / 'running' task has already had its claim response (with its
--- coalesced_comment_ids) built and shipped to the daemon; folding a comment in
--- after that point would add it to coalesced_comment_ids WITHOUT the daemon ever
--- seeing it, making an undelivered comment look delivered. Those post-claim
--- comments are handled by completion reconciliation instead, which anchors on
--- dispatched_at and sweeps every member comment the run did not deliver. Because
--- merges only ever touch pre-claim rows, coalesced_comment_ids == the set the
--- run actually received.
+-- Target is restricted to the single 'queued' task on purpose (MUL-4195 review
+-- rounds 2–4). This merge is only reached when HasPendingTaskForIssueAndAgent
+-- matched a 'queued'/'dispatched' task, and 'dispatched' is deliberately NOT a
+-- target: a dispatched / waiting_local_directory / running task has already had
+-- its claim response (with its coalesced_comment_ids) built and shipped, so
+-- folding a comment in afterward would mark an undelivered comment as delivered;
+-- those are handled by completion reconciliation instead. 'deferred' is also NOT
+-- a target: a deferred row is an assignee-fallback escalation with its own
+-- fire_at/promotion lifecycle, and it never sets AlreadyPending
+-- (HasPendingTaskForIssueAndAgent only looks at queued/dispatched). If a newer
+-- deferred fallback and an older queued task coexisted, a status-IN target would
+-- pick the deferred one by created_at and steal the coalescing target away from
+-- the queued run that is actually about to be claimed — so we match ONLY the
+-- queued row (the idx_one_pending_task_per_issue_agent unique index guarantees
+-- at most one). Because merges only ever touch that pre-claim queued row,
+-- coalesced_comment_ids == the set the run actually received.
 --
 -- Recompute-on-merge (MUL-4195 review must-fix #1): originator_user_id,
 -- runtime_mcp_overlay and runtime_connected_apps are re-stamped to the NEW
@@ -763,7 +769,7 @@ WHERE issue_id = @issue_id
 -- index allows only one queued/dispatched task per (issue, agent)) and therefore
 -- silently dropped the mismatched-originator comment.
 --
--- Returns pgx.ErrNoRows when no pre-claim task exists (it was claimed/started
+-- Returns pgx.ErrNoRows when no queued task exists (it was claimed/started
 -- between the dedup check and this call, or the only task is already
 -- dispatched/running). The caller must NOT blindly enqueue a fresh task in that
 -- case — a dispatched sibling would trip the unique index — it defers to
@@ -783,7 +789,7 @@ WHERE id = (
     SELECT t.id FROM agent_task_queue t
     WHERE t.issue_id = @issue_id
       AND t.agent_id = @agent_id
-      AND t.status IN ('queued', 'deferred')
+      AND t.status = 'queued'
     ORDER BY t.created_at DESC
     LIMIT 1
 )