diff --git a/src/infra/outbound/deliver.test.ts b/src/infra/outbound/deliver.test.ts
index 1c700990363f..b866b9038fc3 100644
--- a/src/infra/outbound/deliver.test.ts
+++ b/src/infra/outbound/deliver.test.ts
@@ -1046,14 +1046,6 @@ describe("deliverOutboundPayloads", () => {
   });
 
   it("marks queued delivery as unknown-after-send (not failed) when a later payload fails after an earlier one succeeded", async () => {
-    // Regression: required-mode batch send where an earlier payload succeeded
-    // (results.length > 0, OutboundDeliveryError.sentBeforeError === true) but a
-    // later payload throws. Previously the wrapper catch called failDelivery,
-    // leaving the entry in `send_attempt_started` so reconnect drain later
-    // replayed it as "not yet sent" — producing duplicate messages when the
-    // adapter's unknown-send reconciliation misreported `not_sent`. The fix
-    // advances to `unknown_after_send` so drain routes the entry through
-    // reconcileUnknownQueuedDelivery instead of blind replay.
     const sendMatrix = vi
       .fn()
       .mockResolvedValueOnce({ messageId: "m1" })
@@ -1072,16 +1064,11 @@ describe("deliverOutboundPayloads", () => {
 
     expect(sendMatrix).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
     expect(queueMocks.markDeliveryPlatformOutcomeUnknown).toHaveBeenCalledWith("mock-queue-id");
-    // Must NOT failDelivery — that would leave send_attempt_started for drain to replay.
     expect(queueMocks.failDelivery).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
-    // Must NOT ack — the batch did not fully succeed; reconcile must confirm the
-    // partial send rather than silently dropping the queue entry.
     expect(queueMocks.ackDelivery).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
   it("still calls failDelivery when a payload fails before any send succeeded", async () => {
-    // No send evidence (sentBeforeError === false): failDelivery is correct —
-    // nothing reached the channel, so leaving the entry for retry is safe.
     const sendMatrix = vi.fn().mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error("first payload send failed"));
 
     await expect(
diff --git a/src/infra/outbound/deliver.ts b/src/infra/outbound/deliver.ts
index 397f9eff27a3..68ae52060a74 100644
--- a/src/infra/outbound/deliver.ts
+++ b/src/infra/outbound/deliver.ts
@@ -1412,15 +1412,6 @@ async function deliverOutboundPayloadsWithQueueCleanup(
       if (isDeliveryAbortError(err)) {
         await ackDelivery(queueId).catch(() => {});
       } else if (!platformResultsReturned) {
-        // If the platform send already started and the error carries partial
-        // send evidence (OutboundDeliveryError with sentBeforeError), the
-        // message may already have reached the channel. Calling failDelivery
-        // here leaves the entry in `send_attempt_started`, which reconnect
-        // drain later replays as "not yet sent" — producing duplicate
-        // messages when the adapter's unknown-send reconciliation misreports
-        // `not_sent`. Advance to `unknown_after_send` instead so drain routes
-        // the entry through reconcileUnknownQueuedDelivery (query the adapter
-        // for actual send state) rather than blind replay.
         const sendEvidence =
           platformSendStarted && err instanceof OutboundDeliveryError && err.sentBeforeError;
         if (sendEvidence) {
diff --git a/src/infra/outbound/delivery-queue-recovery.ts b/src/infra/outbound/delivery-queue-recovery.ts
index 743f9064cddc..5a41b3bdc5e9 100644
--- a/src/infra/outbound/delivery-queue-recovery.ts
+++ b/src/infra/outbound/delivery-queue-recovery.ts
@@ -389,15 +389,19 @@ async function drainQueuedEntry(opts: {
         return "failed";
       }
     }
-    if (reconciliation?.status === "not_sent") {
+    const reconciliationProvedPreSendFailure =
+      reconciliation?.status === "not_sent" && entry.recoveryState === "send_attempt_started";
+    if (reconciliationProvedPreSendFailure) {
       opts.log.info(
         `Delivery entry ${entry.id} reconciled ${entry.recoveryState} as not sent; replaying`,
       );
     } else {
-      const errMsg =
-        reconciliation?.status === "unresolved" && reconciliation.error
-          ? `delivery state is ${entry.recoveryState} and reconciliation is unresolved: ${reconciliation.error}`
-          : `delivery state is ${entry.recoveryState}; refusing blind replay without adapter reconciliation`;
+      let errMsg = `delivery state is ${entry.recoveryState}; refusing blind replay without adapter reconciliation`;
+      if (reconciliation?.status === "not_sent") {
+        errMsg = `delivery state is ${entry.recoveryState}; refusing full replay after post-send evidence`;
+      } else if (reconciliation?.status === "unresolved" && reconciliation.error) {
+        errMsg = `delivery state is ${entry.recoveryState} and reconciliation is unresolved: ${reconciliation.error}`;
+      }
       opts.log.warn(`Delivery entry ${entry.id} ${errMsg}`);
       opts.onFailed?.(entry, errMsg);
       if (reconciliation?.status === "unresolved" && reconciliation.retryable === true) {
diff --git a/src/infra/outbound/delivery-queue.recovery.test.ts b/src/infra/outbound/delivery-queue.recovery.test.ts
index 2425d728851e..eecc8bf8c8e1 100644
--- a/src/infra/outbound/delivery-queue.recovery.test.ts
+++ b/src/infra/outbound/delivery-queue.recovery.test.ts
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ describe("delivery-queue recovery", () => {
     expect(await loadPendingDeliveries(tmpDir())).toHaveLength(0);
   });
 
-  it("replays unknown-after-send entries only after adapter proves they were not sent", async () => {
+  it("moves unknown-after-send entries to failed when adapter reports not sent", async () => {
     const id = await enqueueDelivery(
       { channel: "demo-channel-a", to: "+1", payloads: [{ text: "not sent" }] },
       tmpDir(),
@@ -346,24 +346,19 @@ describe("delivery-queue recovery", () => {
     });
 
     const deliver = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([]);
-    const { result } = await runRecovery({ deliver });
+    const log = createRecoveryLog();
+    const { result } = await runRecovery({ deliver, log });
 
-    expect(deliver).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
-    const deliverInput = mockCallArg(deliver) as {
-      channel?: string;
-      to?: string;
-      skipQueue?: boolean;
-    };
-    expect(deliverInput.channel).toBe("demo-channel-a");
-    expect(deliverInput.to).toBe("+1");
-    expect(deliverInput.skipQueue).toBe(true);
+    expect(deliver).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     expect(result).toEqual({
-      recovered: 1,
-      failed: 0,
+      recovered: 0,
+      failed: 1,
       skippedMaxRetries: 0,
       deferredBackoff: 0,
     });
     expect(await loadPendingDeliveries(tmpDir())).toHaveLength(0);
+    expect(readOutboundQueueStatus(tmpDir(), id)).toBe("failed");
+    expectMockMessageContaining(log.warn, "refusing full replay after post-send evidence");
   });
 
   it("keeps retryable unresolved unknown-after-send entries on the queue without replaying", async () => {