diff --git a/MODULE.md b/MODULE.md
index 4b3da76..94a2582 100644
--- a/MODULE.md
+++ b/MODULE.md
@@ -376,7 +376,7 @@ many subjects (SaaS tenants, derived embedded agents) registers each one later:
 | --- | --- |
 | `RegisterApprovalScope2` | Adds a scope. An identical repeat is `unchanged`; the same identity or the same subject with anything else is a conflict. A stale generation, bad grants or a malformed stream deny. |
 | `ReplaceApprovalScope2` | Atomically changes posture, grants or `policy_ref` of a live scope (init scopes included). The subject and, for runtime scopes, the audit stream cannot change. Rows bound to another `policy_ref` stop being decidable. |
-| `RetireApprovalScope2` | Removes a scope; every later call under it denies and the ports release the subject. |
+| `RetireApprovalScope2` | Removes a runtime scope (initialized scopes are replaced, never retired); every later call under it denies and the ports release the subject. A failed release keeps the scope registered so the retirement can be retried. |
 
 All three are private host-only members served to the authenticated init peer,
 like the other registrations. The table holds at most 65,536 live scopes. The
diff --git a/crates/tinysecurity-approval/src/engine.rs b/crates/tinysecurity-approval/src/engine.rs
index 18cd86f..0cce543 100644
--- a/crates/tinysecurity-approval/src/engine.rs
+++ b/crates/tinysecurity-approval/src/engine.rs
@@ -207,6 +207,11 @@ impl ScopeTable {
             .insert(entry.scope.scope_id.clone(), Arc::new(entry));
         fresh
     }
+    /// Put back an entry removed by a retirement the ports could not complete.
+    fn reinstate(&mut self, entry: Arc<ScopeEntry>) {
+        self.subjects.insert(Self::key(&entry.scope));
+        self.by_id.insert(entry.scope.scope_id.clone(), entry);
+    }
     fn remove(&mut self, id: &str) -> Option<Arc<ScopeEntry>> {
         let removed = self.by_id.remove(id)?;
         self.subjects.remove(&Self::key(&removed.scope));
@@ -504,11 +509,7 @@ impl Engine {
         if reg.generation != self.generation.load(Ordering::SeqCst) {
             return Err(Error::Denied);
         }
-        // A grant or posture replaced while the ports were awaited must not publish
-        // an automatic approval from the obsolete snapshot.
-        if automatic && !Arc::ptr_eq(&entry, &self.entry(&request.scope_id)?) {
-            return Err(Error::Denied);
-        }
+        self.automatic_stands(&entry, &request.scope_id, automatic)?;
         let now = self.now()?;
         if reusable
             .as_ref()
@@ -550,8 +551,23 @@ impl Engine {
             audit: request.audit,
         };
         let row = self.memo_begin(row, deadline.is_some())?;
-        self.finish_native_begin(&reg, row, now, deadline.is_some())
-            .await
+        let row = self
+            .finish_native_begin(&reg, row, now, deadline.is_some())
+            .await?;
+        // The publication awaited too: never hand back an approval whose automatic
+        // authority was replaced meanwhile (consumption would refuse it anyway).
+        if row.state == ApprovalLifecycle2::Approved {
+            self.automatic_stands(&entry, &request.scope_id, automatic)?;
+        }
+        Ok(row)
+    }
+    /// An automatic approval stands only while the scope entry it was derived from is
+    /// still the live one: a grant or posture replaced during an await revokes it.
+    fn automatic_stands(&self, entry: &Arc<ScopeEntry>, id: &str, automatic: bool) -> Result<()> {
+        if automatic && !Arc::ptr_eq(entry, &self.entry(id)?) {
+            return Err(Error::Denied);
+        }
+        Ok(())
     }
     /// Who approved a row that needed no human: reviewed reuse, the judge, a host
     /// grant or the scope's own automatic posture.
@@ -1212,7 +1228,15 @@ impl Engine {
             .map_err(|_| Error::Unavailable)?
             .remove(&request.scope_id)
             .ok_or(Error::Denied)?;
-        self.ports.release_scope(&removed.scope).await?;
+        if let Err(error) = self.ports.release_scope(&removed.scope).await {
+            // Keep ownership so the retirement can be retried; the ports fail closed
+            // for whatever they already released.
+            self.scopes
+                .write()
+                .map_err(|_| Error::Unavailable)?
+                .reinstate(removed);
+            return Err(error);
+        }
         let scopes = self.scopes.read().map_err(|_| Error::Unavailable)?;
         Self::receipt(
             &scopes,
diff --git a/crates/tinysecurity-approval/src/engine_scopes_tests.rs b/crates/tinysecurity-approval/src/engine_scopes_tests.rs
index 4b1855a..2299987 100644
--- a/crates/tinysecurity-approval/src/engine_scopes_tests.rs
+++ b/crates/tinysecurity-approval/src/engine_scopes_tests.rs
@@ -316,7 +316,22 @@ async fn retire_denies_later_calls_releases_the_subject_and_reports_once() -> Re
             .err(),
         Some(Error::Unavailable)
     );
-    // A failed release still leaves the scope unusable.
+    // A failed release keeps ownership: the subject cannot register again, and the
+    // retirement can be retried until the ports complete it.
+    let mut again = register(7);
+    again.scope.scope_id = id(8);
+    assert_eq!(
+        owner.register_scope(again).await.err(),
+        Some(Error::Conflict)
+    );
+    fixture.release_fails.store(0, Ordering::SeqCst);
+    assert_eq!(
+        owner
+            .retire_scope(RetireApprovalScopeRequest2 { scope_id: id(7) })
+            .await?
+            .outcome,
+        ApprovalScopeOutcome2::Retired
+    );
     assert!(
         owner
             .begin(begin_for(7, "local_diagnostic", None, Origin::Operator))
@@ -930,3 +945,43 @@ async fn initialized_scopes_cannot_be_retired() -> Result<()> {
     );
     Ok(())
 }
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn grant_revoked_while_the_approval_is_published_is_not_returned() -> Result<()> {
+    let (fixture, owner) = owner()?;
+    let owner = Arc::new(owner);
+    let mut req = register(7);
+    req.grants = grants(&["shell"], &[]);
+    owner.register_scope(req).await?;
+    let before = fixture.cas_calls.load(Ordering::SeqCst);
+    fixture
+        .barrier
+        .lock()
+        .map_err(|_| Error::Unavailable)?
+        .replace(Arc::new(tokio::sync::Barrier::new(2)));
+    let racing = tokio::spawn({
+        let owner = owner.clone();
+        async move {
+            owner
+                .begin(begin_for(7, "shell", None, Origin::Operator))
+                .await
+        }
+    });
+    // The new row's write is parked: the grant is revoked after the early checks.
+    while fixture.cas_calls.load(Ordering::SeqCst) == before {
+        tokio::task::yield_now().await;
+    }
+    owner.replace_scope(register(7))?;
+    let barrier = fixture
+        .barrier
+        .lock()
+        .map_err(|_| Error::Unavailable)?
+        .clone()
+        .ok_or(Error::Unavailable)?;
+    barrier.wait().await;
+    assert_eq!(
+        racing.await.map_err(|_| Error::Unavailable)?.err(),
+        Some(Error::Denied)
+    );
+    Ok(())
+}
diff --git a/crates/tinysecurity-bus/src/approval_scopes.rs b/crates/tinysecurity-bus/src/approval_scopes.rs
index 65eb012..1b6ea15 100644
--- a/crates/tinysecurity-bus/src/approval_scopes.rs
+++ b/crates/tinysecurity-bus/src/approval_scopes.rs
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ pub struct RegisterApprovalScopeRequest2 {
     pub audit_stream_id: String,
 }
 
-/// Retire one runtime or init scope.
+/// Retire one runtime scope. Initialized scopes can be replaced but never retired.
 #[derive(Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 #[serde(deny_unknown_fields)]
 pub struct RetireApprovalScopeRequest2 {