diff --git a/aether-agents-0.2.0.tgz b/aether-agents-0.2.0.tgz
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8cbb596
Binary files /dev/null and b/aether-agents-0.2.0.tgz differ
diff --git a/src/commands/code.ts b/src/commands/code.ts
index 5be3d45..4852c10 100644
--- a/src/commands/code.ts
+++ b/src/commands/code.ts
@@ -148,6 +148,9 @@ export async function cmdCode(ctx: AppContext, task: string, opts: CodeOpts): Pr
   //    A non-TTY run without --yes proceeds in place with zero prompts/side
   //    effects, so pipes, CI, and tests never hang.
   let repoSpec: RepoSpec | null = null;
+  // The exact revision a --repo worktree must start from. Null for a plain
+  // --worktree run, where the user's own checkout is the intended base.
+  let repoBase: string | null = null;
   let worktree: Worktree | null = null;
   let cwd: string;
   if (opts.repo || opts.worktree) {
@@ -167,19 +170,30 @@ export async function cmdCode(ctx: AppContext, task: string, opts: CodeOpts): Pr
             ? "(fetched)"
             : `(NOT REFRESHED — ${co.freshness.reason ?? "reason unknown"})`;
         process.stderr.write(`⎇ repo ${repoSpec.full} ${how}${tip}\n  ${co.dir}\n`);
-        if (co.freshness.state !== "fresh") {
+        // Refuse rather than branch off a base nobody can name. git fetch moves
+        // remote refs, not the mirror's HEAD, so without a known tip the run
+        // would silently start from whatever was on disk while having just
+        // printed a reassuring fetch line.
+        if (co.freshness.state !== "fresh" || !co.freshness.remoteTip) {
           process.stderr.write(
-            "  ! this worktree will branch off whatever the mirror already had;\n" +
-              "    its base is not known to match the remote.\n",
+            `✗ refusing to start: the base for ${repoSpec.full} is not known to match the remote.\n` +
+              `  ${co.freshness.reason ?? "no revision was resolved"}\n` +
+              "  a worktree cut now would branch off whatever the mirror already had.\n" +
+              "  reconnect and retry, or work in a local checkout you control.\n",
           );
+          return 1;
         }
+        repoBase = co.freshness.remoteTip;
       } catch (err) {
         process.stderr.write(`✗ ${err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err)}\n`);
         return 1;
       }
     }
     try {
-      worktree = createWorktree(repoRoot, label);
+      // Pin the worktree to the revision the mirror actually fetched. git fetch
+      // moves remote refs, not the mirror's HEAD, so an unpinned `worktree add`
+      // branches off a base that can be well behind the tip just reported.
+      worktree = createWorktree(repoRoot, label, undefined, repoBase ?? undefined);
       process.stderr.write(`⌥ worktree ${worktree.branch}\n  ${worktree.dir}\n`);
     } catch (err) {
       process.stderr.write(`✗ ${err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err)}\n`);
diff --git a/src/core/worktree.ts b/src/core/worktree.ts
index aa83374..703af7f 100644
--- a/src/core/worktree.ts
+++ b/src/core/worktree.ts
@@ -124,8 +124,19 @@ export function worktreeBranch(task: string, id: string): string {
 }
 
 /** git args to add a worktree on a new branch off current HEAD. Pure. */
-export function worktreeAddArgs(repoRoot: string, branch: string, dir: string): string[] {
-  return ["-C", repoRoot, "worktree", "add", "-b", branch, dir];
+export function worktreeAddArgs(
+  repoRoot: string,
+  branch: string,
+  dir: string,
+  startRevision?: string,
+): string[] {
+  // git fetch updates remote refs and FETCH_HEAD; it does NOT move the mirror's
+  // checked-out HEAD. Without an explicit start point, `worktree add` branches
+  // off whatever the mirror already had — which can be days behind the tip the
+  // run just reported fetching. The revision goes last: git reads the final
+  // positional as the start point.
+  const argv = ["-C", repoRoot, "worktree", "add", "-b", branch, dir];
+  return startRevision ? [...argv, startRevision] : argv;
 }
 
 /** Resolve the repo root for `cwd`, or null if not inside a git repo.
@@ -140,7 +151,7 @@ export function repoRootOf(cwd: string): string | null {
  * Throws with an actionable message if `cwd` isn't a git repo or git fails.
  * `id` is injected (default: short base-36 timestamp) so tests are deterministic.
  */
-export function createWorktree(cwd: string, task: string, id?: string): Worktree {
+export function createWorktree(cwd: string, task: string, id?: string, startRevision?: string): Worktree {
   const repoRoot = repoRootOf(cwd);
   if (!repoRoot) {
     throw new Error("--worktree needs a git repo (run `git init` first, or drop the flag)");
@@ -148,7 +159,7 @@ export function createWorktree(cwd: string, task: string, id?: string): Worktree
   const safeId = id ?? Date.now().toString(36);
   const branch = worktreeBranch(task, safeId);
   const dir = join(worktreesRoot(), branch.replace(/\//g, "-"));
-  const r = spawnSync("git", worktreeAddArgs(repoRoot, branch, dir), { encoding: "utf8" });
+  const r = spawnSync("git", worktreeAddArgs(repoRoot, branch, dir, startRevision), { encoding: "utf8" });
   if (r.status !== 0) {
     const why = ((r.stderr ?? "") + (r.stdout ?? "")).trim() || "git worktree add failed";
     throw new Error(`could not create worktree: ${why}`);
diff --git a/test/worktree.test.ts b/test/worktree.test.ts
index 0f31200..dd133a5 100644
--- a/test/worktree.test.ts
+++ b/test/worktree.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { test } from "node:test";
 import assert from "node:assert/strict";
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync, existsSync } from "node:fs";
+import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
+import { mkdtempSync, mkdirSync, rmSync, existsSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 import {
@@ -182,3 +183,94 @@ test("mergeHint names the branch, merge, and discard paths", () => {
   assert.match(hint, /merge aether\/x-1/);
   assert.match(hint, /worktree remove \/wt\/x/);
 });
+
+// ── exact remote base (SC-A7) ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+// `git fetch` moves remote refs and FETCH_HEAD; it does NOT move the mirror's
+// checked-out HEAD. So `worktree add -b <branch> <dir>` with no start-point
+// branches off whatever the mirror already had, even though the run just
+// reported a freshly fetched tip. The base must be pinned explicitly.
+
+test("worktreeAddArgs pins the start revision when one is given", () => {
+  assert.deepEqual(worktreeAddArgs("/repo", "aether/x-1", "/wt", "c".repeat(40)), [
+    "-C",
+    "/repo",
+    "worktree",
+    "add",
+    "-b",
+    "aether/x-1",
+    "/wt",
+    "c".repeat(40),
+  ]);
+});
+
+test("worktreeAddArgs without a start revision is unchanged", () => {
+  assert.deepEqual(worktreeAddArgs("/repo", "aether/x-1", "/wt"), [
+    "-C",
+    "/repo",
+    "worktree",
+    "add",
+    "-b",
+    "aether/x-1",
+    "/wt",
+  ]);
+});
+
+test("the pinned revision is the last argv element, so git reads it as the start point", () => {
+  const argv = worktreeAddArgs("/repo", "aether/x-1", "/wt", "deadbee");
+  assert.equal(argv[argv.length - 1], "deadbee");
+  assert.equal(argv[argv.length - 2], "/wt", "the directory must still precede the start point");
+});
+
+// Real-git canary for the stale-base defect. Everything above asserts argv;
+// this asserts the resulting checkout. The failure it guards is specific:
+// `git fetch` advances remote refs and FETCH_HEAD but leaves the mirror's own
+// HEAD where it was, so an unpinned `worktree add` starts from the OLD commit
+// while the run has just printed the NEW one.
+{
+  const git = (cwd: string, ...args: string[]): string =>
+    spawnSync("git", ["-c", "core.literalPathspecs=true", "-C", cwd, ...args], { encoding: "utf8" }).stdout.trim();
+  const canSpawnGit = !spawnSync("git", ["--version"], { encoding: "utf8" }).error;
+
+  test("a pinned worktree starts at the fetched revision, not the mirror's stale HEAD", (t) => {
+    if (!canSpawnGit) return t.skip("git not available");
+    const root = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "aether-base-"));
+    const remote = join(root, "remote");
+    const mirror = join(root, "mirror");
+
+    // A remote with one commit; clone it, so mirror HEAD == remote tip == A.
+    mkdirSync(remote, { recursive: true });
+    git(remote, "init", "-q", "-b", "main");
+    git(remote, "config", "user.email", "t@t.t");
+    git(remote, "config", "user.name", "t");
+    writeFileSync(join(remote, "a.txt"), "A\n");
+    git(remote, "add", "-A");
+    git(remote, "commit", "-q", "-m", "A");
+    spawnSync("git", ["clone", "-q", remote, mirror], { encoding: "utf8" });
+    const staleHead = git(mirror, "rev-parse", "HEAD");
+
+    // The remote moves on. The mirror knows nothing about it yet.
+    writeFileSync(join(remote, "a.txt"), "C\n");
+    git(remote, "add", "-A");
+    git(remote, "commit", "-q", "-m", "C");
+    const remoteTip = git(remote, "rev-parse", "HEAD");
+    assert.notEqual(staleHead, remoteTip, "the fixture must actually diverge");
+
+    // Fetch, exactly as refreshMirror does — refs move, HEAD does not.
+    git(mirror, "fetch", "--prune", "origin");
+    const fetched = git(mirror, "rev-parse", "FETCH_HEAD");
+    assert.equal(fetched, remoteTip, "fetch should resolve the remote tip");
+    assert.equal(
+      git(mirror, "rev-parse", "HEAD"),
+      staleHead,
+      "fetch must NOT move the mirror's HEAD — this is the whole defect",
+    );
+
+    // Cut the worktree the way the product now does: pinned to the fetched tip.
+    const dir = join(root, "wt");
+    const r = spawnSync("git", worktreeAddArgs(mirror, "aether/pinned-1", dir, fetched), { encoding: "utf8" });
+    assert.equal(r.status, 0, `worktree add failed: ${r.stderr}`);
+
+    assert.equal(git(dir, "rev-parse", "HEAD"), remoteTip, "the worktree must start at the fetched revision");
+    assert.notEqual(git(dir, "rev-parse", "HEAD"), staleHead, "it must not start at the mirror's stale HEAD");
+  });
+}