diff --git a/services/hermes/agent-deployment.yaml b/services/hermes/agent-deployment.yaml
index 4a8c70de..27eee2e8 100644
--- a/services/hermes/agent-deployment.yaml
+++ b/services/hermes/agent-deployment.yaml
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ spec:
         ai.bstein.dev/execution: Hermes Kanban with durable direct Codex and Claude Code CLI workers
         ai.bstein.dev/model-policy: Jetson-assisted AUTO routing, low through xhigh, cross-provider fallback
         ai.bstein.dev/placement: rpi5 preferred; Jetson deferred until state storage is available
-        ai.bstein.dev/config-rev: "20260815-runtime-access-boundary"
+        ai.bstein.dev/config-rev: "20260816-activity-lineage-scope"
         vault.hashicorp.com/agent-inject: "true"
         vault.hashicorp.com/role: hermes-agent
         vault.hashicorp.com/agent-inject-secret-agent-api-key: kv/data/atlas/hermes/agent-tokens
diff --git a/services/hermes/scripts/patch_web_session_activity.py b/services/hermes/scripts/patch_web_session_activity.py
index cc729b91..e1a1825d 100644
--- a/services/hermes/scripts/patch_web_session_activity.py
+++ b/services/hermes/scripts/patch_web_session_activity.py
@@ -145,20 +145,18 @@ LATEST_SELECTION_AFTER = '''    children = {}
         except Exception:
             return 0.0
 
-    # Old dashboard versions rewrote the URL to a child without retaining the
-    # root. Recover the oldest available ancestor so those existing live links
-    # can also follow a resumed parent or a newer delegated sibling.
+    # Old dashboard versions rewrote the URL to a delegated leaf without
+    # retaining its objective. Recover only the immediate objective parent.
+    # Climbing to the oldest ancestor mixes unrelated workstreams that happen
+    # to share a long-lived dashboard/handoff session.
     anchor = sid
-    ancestor_seen = {anchor}
-    while True:
+    if not children.get(anchor):
         parent = (rows_by_id.get(anchor) or {}).get("parent_session_id")
-        if not parent or parent in ancestor_seen:
-            break
-        anchor = parent
-        ancestor_seen.add(anchor)
+        if parent and parent in rows_by_id:
+            anchor = parent
     sid = anchor
 
-    root = db.get_session(sid) or {"id": sid}
+    root = rows_by_id.get(sid) or db.get_session(sid) or {"id": sid}
     descendants = [(root, [sid])]
     stack = [(sid, [sid])]
     seen = {sid}
@@ -177,14 +175,22 @@ LATEST_SELECTION_AFTER = '''    children = {}
     # A durable parent can resume after a delegated reviewer exits. Prefer the
     # newest still-open member of the lineage instead of stranding the browser
     # on the most recently created (but already finished) child.
-    active = [item for item in descendants if item[0].get("ended_at") is None]
+    # An ended objective can retain orphaned children whose process died before
+    # SessionDB recorded ended_at. Do not let those stale rows defeat a newer,
+    # completed repair/review branch. While the objective itself is live, an
+    # open child or the resumed parent still wins as before.
+    active = (
+        [item for item in descendants if item[0].get("ended_at") is None]
+        if root.get("ended_at") is None
+        else []
+    )
     if active:
         row, path = max(active, key=lambda item: (started(item[0]), len(item[1])))
         return row.get("id") or sid, path
 
     leaves = [
         item for item in descendants
-        if not any(child.get("id") in seen for child in children.get(item[0].get("id"), []))
+        if not children.get(item[0].get("id"))
     ]
     row, path = max(leaves or descendants, key=lambda item: started(item[0]))
     return row.get("id") or sid, path
diff --git a/testing/tests/test_hermes_chat_quality.py b/testing/tests/test_hermes_chat_quality.py
index 6b693cff..7f4cf08b 100644
--- a/testing/tests/test_hermes_chat_quality.py
+++ b/testing/tests/test_hermes_chat_quality.py
@@ -1160,7 +1160,9 @@ def test_web_session_activity_patch_projects_bounded_events(tmp_path: Path):
     assert '"total_messages": total_messages' in patched
     assert "SELECT id, parent_session_id, started_at, ended_at" in patched
     assert "newest still-open member of the lineage" in patched
-    assert "oldest available ancestor" in patched
+    assert "immediate objective parent" in patched
+    assert "mixes unrelated workstreams" in patched
+    assert "orphaned children" in patched
     assert 'item[0].get("ended_at") is None' in patched
 
 
@@ -1179,19 +1181,19 @@ def test_web_session_lineage_returns_to_resumed_parent():
     )
 
     class FakeDB:
-        root = {
-            "id": "root",
-            "started_at": 1.0,
-            "ended_at": None,
-        }
-
-        def get_session(self, _session_id):
-            return self.root
+        def get_session(self, session_id):
+            return next((row for row in rows if row["id"] == session_id), None)
 
     rows = [
         {
-            "id": "root",
+            "id": "umbrella",
             "parent_session_id": None,
+            "started_at": 0.0,
+            "ended_at": None,
+        },
+        {
+            "id": "root",
+            "parent_session_id": "umbrella",
             "started_at": 1.0,
             "ended_at": None,
         },
@@ -1218,10 +1220,32 @@ def test_web_session_lineage_returns_to_resumed_parent():
         "review-2",
         ["root", "review-2"],
     )
-    rows[1]["ended_at"] = 5.0
     rows[2]["ended_at"] = 5.0
+    rows[3]["ended_at"] = 5.0
     assert select_active("root", FakeDB(), rows) == ("root", ["root"])
 
+    rows[1]["ended_at"] = 9.0
+    rows.append(
+        {
+            "id": "orphaned-review",
+            "parent_session_id": "root",
+            "started_at": 6.0,
+            "ended_at": None,
+        }
+    )
+    rows.append(
+        {
+            "id": "accepted-review",
+            "parent_session_id": "root",
+            "started_at": 7.0,
+            "ended_at": 8.0,
+        }
+    )
+    assert select_active("review-1", FakeDB(), rows) == (
+        "accepted-review",
+        ["root", "accepted-review"],
+    )
+
 
 def test_api_activity_patch_coalesces_streaming_heartbeats(
     tmp_path: Path, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch