diff --git a/cmd/orchestra-worker/main.go b/cmd/orchestra-worker/main.go
index 024a7c7..9214bc6 100644
--- a/cmd/orchestra-worker/main.go
+++ b/cmd/orchestra-worker/main.go
@@ -1156,10 +1156,26 @@ func (w *worker) renewLeases(ctx context.Context) {
 	}
 }
 
+// holdsLease reports whether this worker still owns an unexpired lease on a
+// task. Anything it sends the coordinator about a task it no longer holds is
+// refused, so this is the guard that keeps a refusal from becoming a loop.
+func (w *worker) holdsLease(taskID string) bool {
+	l, ok := w.leases[taskID]
+	return ok && time.Now().Before(l.Until)
+}
+
 // publishCaptures makes remote panes observable without allowing the
 // coordinator to touch their unix herdr socket.
 func (w *worker) publishCaptures(ctx context.Context) {
 	for taskID, session := range w.sessions {
+		// A capture is lease-scoped. Without this the loop published every
+		// session it had ever held: run 10's task was blocked and unleased for
+		// twenty-six minutes while this called the coordinator every five
+		// seconds and logged "409 Conflict: lease not owned" each time, which
+		// also kept the single last_error slot pinned to a dead task.
+		if !w.holdsLease(taskID) {
+			continue
+		}
 		text, err := (herdr.CLIAdapter{Backend: w.executionBackend(), Harness: w.harness}).PaneCapture(ctx, session, "recent")
 		if err != nil {
 			continue
diff --git a/cmd/orchestra-worker/main_test.go b/cmd/orchestra-worker/main_test.go
index f4fcabe..7f0db49 100644
--- a/cmd/orchestra-worker/main_test.go
+++ b/cmd/orchestra-worker/main_test.go
@@ -1102,3 +1102,24 @@ func TestStageExcludeSurvivesTheIgnoredMarker(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("staged %q, want only a.txt", strings.TrimSpace(staged))
 	}
 }
+
+// A capture is lease-scoped. Without that guard, publishCaptures called the
+// coordinator for every session the worker had ever held: run 10's task was
+// blocked and unleased for twenty-six minutes while this logged "409 Conflict:
+// lease not owned" every five seconds, pinning the single last_error slot to a
+// dead task.
+func TestHoldsLeaseGatesWorkOnATaskTheWorkerLost(t *testing.T) {
+	w := &worker{leases: map[string]lease{
+		"held":    {Until: time.Now().Add(time.Minute)},
+		"expired": {Until: time.Now().Add(-time.Minute)},
+	}}
+	if !w.holdsLease("held") {
+		t.Error("an unexpired lease is not held")
+	}
+	if w.holdsLease("expired") {
+		t.Error("an expired lease is still held")
+	}
+	if w.holdsLease("never-leased") {
+		t.Error("a task this worker never leased is held")
+	}
+}