diff --git a/cmd/orchestra-worker/main.go b/cmd/orchestra-worker/main.go
index edd468a..a350959 100644
--- a/cmd/orchestra-worker/main.go
+++ b/cmd/orchestra-worker/main.go
@@ -962,7 +962,7 @@ func (w *worker) finalize(ctx context.Context, id string, s herdr.Session) (comp
 	if _, err := git(ctx, s.Worktree, "diff", "--quiet", "--", "TASK.md"); err != nil {
 		return completionEvidence{}, errors.New("TASK.md was modified")
 	}
-	if out, err := git(ctx, s.Worktree, "add", "-A", "--", ".", ":!.orchestra/done"); err != nil {
+	if out, err := git(ctx, s.Worktree, "add", "-A", "--", ".", stageExclude); err != nil {
 		return completionEvidence{}, fmt.Errorf("stage result: %s: %w", out, err)
 	}
 	if _, err := git(ctx, s.Worktree, "diff", "--cached", "--quiet"); err != nil {
@@ -990,6 +990,16 @@ func (w *worker) finalize(ctx context.Context, id string, s herdr.Session) (comp
 	return e, nil
 }
 
+// stageExclude keeps Orchestra's own control files out of the result commit.
+// It names the directory, not the marker inside it: .orchestra carries a
+// .gitignore of "*" (herdr/adapter.go), and naming an ignored file in a
+// pathspec makes git refuse the whole add with "The following paths are
+// ignored by one of your .gitignore files". F42, live on run 5: the review
+// agent wrote .orchestra/done, and every completion attempt failed on that
+// refusal, once every five seconds, with the task stuck in review. Excluding
+// the directory also holds for a worktree that has no inner .gitignore.
+const stageExclude = ":!.orchestra"
+
 func (w *worker) renewLeases(ctx context.Context) {
 	if w.executionBackend() == nil {
 		return
diff --git a/cmd/orchestra-worker/main_test.go b/cmd/orchestra-worker/main_test.go
index a4967c8..f4fcabe 100644
--- a/cmd/orchestra-worker/main_test.go
+++ b/cmd/orchestra-worker/main_test.go
@@ -1045,3 +1045,60 @@ func deadTmuxBackend(t *testing.T) *herdr.TmuxBackend {
 	}
 	return &herdr.TmuxBackend{Socket: "gone", Binary: stub}
 }
+
+// F42, live on run 5: the review agent wrote .orchestra/done, and the result
+// commit's staging step named that file in an exclude pathspec. Git refuses the
+// whole add when a pathspec names an ignored path, so completion failed every
+// five seconds and the task never left review. The marker directory ignores
+// itself, so the exclusion has to name the directory.
+func TestStageExcludeSurvivesTheIgnoredMarker(t *testing.T) {
+	repo := t.TempDir()
+	run := func(args ...string) (string, error) {
+		cmd := exec.Command("git", args...)
+		cmd.Dir = repo
+		out, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
+		return string(out), err
+	}
+	for _, args := range [][]string{
+		{"init", "-q", "."},
+		{"config", "user.email", "t@example.invalid"},
+		{"config", "user.name", "t"},
+	} {
+		if out, err := run(args...); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("git %v: %s: %v", args, out, err)
+		}
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(repo, "a.txt"), []byte("one\n"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if out, err := run("add", "a.txt"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("%s: %v", out, err)
+	}
+	if out, err := run("commit", "-qm", "init"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("%s: %v", out, err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(repo, "a.txt"), []byte("one\ntwo\n"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	control := filepath.Join(repo, ".orchestra")
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(control, 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	// Exactly what the adapter writes, and the marker the agent writes.
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(control, ".gitignore"), []byte("*\n"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(control, "done"), nil, 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if out, err := run("add", "-A", "--", ".", stageExclude); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("staging refused the ignored marker: %s: %v", out, err)
+	}
+	staged, err := run("diff", "--cached", "--name-only")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("%s: %v", staged, err)
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(staged) != "a.txt" {
+		t.Fatalf("staged %q, want only a.txt", strings.TrimSpace(staged))
+	}
+}