diff --git a/services/hermes/scripts/bootstrap_soteria_publication_retry.py b/services/hermes/scripts/bootstrap_soteria_publication_retry.py
index 4333b7b1..f4dfbde1 100644
--- a/services/hermes/scripts/bootstrap_soteria_publication_retry.py
+++ b/services/hermes/scripts/bootstrap_soteria_publication_retry.py
@@ -107,7 +107,10 @@ def _native_guard() -> supervisor_state.Lineage:
         task is None or _value(task, "status") != "blocked"
         or _value(task, "current_run_id") is not None
         or latest is None or latest[0] != int(RUN_ID)
-        or latest[1] not in {"done", "failed"}
+        # Run 8 predates the terminal-state classifier.  Its retained native
+        # record is exactly blocked/blocked; accept only that historical
+        # terminal form in addition to the current terminal spellings.
+        or latest[1] not in {"blocked", "done", "failed"}
         or not isinstance(parents, (list, tuple, set)) or ROOT not in {str(value) for value in parents}
     ):
         raise ValueError("bootstrap native task is no longer the exact blocked run")
diff --git a/testing/tests/test_hermes_legacy_scm_roots.py b/testing/tests/test_hermes_legacy_scm_roots.py
index d0f16d21..34fd9215 100644
--- a/testing/tests/test_hermes_legacy_scm_roots.py
+++ b/testing/tests/test_hermes_legacy_scm_roots.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ from contextlib import nullcontext
 import json
 from pathlib import Path
 import sys
+from types import SimpleNamespace
 
 import pytest
 import yaml
@@ -17,6 +18,7 @@ sys.path.insert(0, str(HERMES / "scm-common/scripts"))
 state = _load("supervisor_state")
 seed = _load("seed_legacy_scm_roots")
 retry = sys.modules["publication_retry"]
+bootstrap = _load("bootstrap_soteria_publication_retry")
 
 
 class NativeKanban:
@@ -93,6 +95,41 @@ def test_seed_rerun_preserves_same_owned_newer_state_and_approval(tmp_path, monk
         ).fetchone() == (1, newer)
 
 
+def test_publication_bootstrap_accepts_only_the_verified_historical_blocked_run(monkeypatch):
+    """The run-8 migration accepts its old blocked terminal state, not a live run."""
+    lineage = state.Lineage(
+        bootstrap.ROOT, "hermes-repair/cache", "https://scm.bstein.dev/titan/soteria/pulls/3",
+        "soteria", "main",
+    )
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        bootstrap.supervisor_state, "get_child",
+        lambda _board, _child: {"root_task_id": bootstrap.ROOT, "kind": "repair", "lineage": lineage},
+    )
+
+    class Connection:
+        def execute(self, _sql, _args):
+            return SimpleNamespace(fetchone=lambda: (8, "blocked", "blocked"))
+
+        def close(self):
+            return None
+
+    kanban = SimpleNamespace(
+        scoped_current_board=lambda _board: nullcontext(),
+        connect=lambda **_kwargs: Connection(),
+        get_task=lambda _connection, _task: {"status": "blocked", "current_run_id": None},
+        parent_ids=lambda _connection, _task: [bootstrap.ROOT],
+    )
+    monkeypatch.setitem(sys.modules, "hermes_cli", SimpleNamespace(kanban_db=kanban))
+    assert bootstrap._native_guard() == lineage
+
+    kanban.connect = lambda **_kwargs: type("BadConnection", (), {
+        "execute": lambda _self, _sql, _args: SimpleNamespace(fetchone=lambda: (9, "blocked", "blocked")),
+        "close": lambda _self: None,
+    })()
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="exact blocked run"):
+        bootstrap._native_guard()
+
+
 def test_publication_retry_is_bound_once_and_never_falls_back_to_a_model(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     """A mediator receipt can power one fresh ordinal-pinned publication only."""
     board, root_id, child_id, baseline, head = (