diff --git a/packages/api/src/auth/openid/flight.spec.ts b/packages/api/src/auth/openid/flight.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..721206a842
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/api/src/auth/openid/flight.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+import { createOpenIDRefreshFlightService } from './flight';
+
+jest.mock('../../utils/identity', () => ({
+  createOpenIDRefreshIdentityTuple: jest.fn(),
+  serializeAuthIdentityTuple: jest.fn(),
+}));
+
+describe('OpenID completion write boundary', () => {
+  it.each([true, false])(
+    'marks dispatch only after encryption (encryption fails: %s)',
+    async (fails) => {
+      const onWriteStart = jest.fn();
+      const error = new Error('encryption failed');
+      const complete = jest.fn(async () => {
+        expect(onWriteStart).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+        return null;
+      });
+      const service = createOpenIDRefreshFlightService({
+        db: {
+          acquireOpenIDRefreshFlight: jest.fn(),
+          completeOpenIDRefreshFlight: complete,
+          renewOpenIDRefreshFlight: jest.fn(),
+          failOpenIDRefreshFlight: jest.fn(),
+          revokeOpenIDRefreshFlight: jest.fn(),
+          findOpenIDRefreshFlight: jest.fn(),
+          claimOpenIDRefreshFlightDelivery: jest.fn(),
+          releaseOpenIDRefreshFlightDelivery: jest.fn(),
+        },
+        logger: { warn: jest.fn() },
+        encrypt: async () => {
+          expect(onWriteStart).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+          if (fails) throw error;
+          return 'encrypted';
+        },
+        decrypt: jest.fn(),
+      });
+      const result = service.completeOpenIDRefreshFlight({
+        key: 'publication',
+        ownerId: 'owner',
+        tokens: { access_token: 'access' },
+        onWriteStart,
+      });
+      if (fails) {
+        await expect(result).rejects.toBe(error);
+        expect(onWriteStart).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+        expect(complete).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      } else {
+        await expect(result).resolves.toBeNull();
+        expect(complete).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      }
+    },
+  );
+});
diff --git a/packages/api/src/auth/openid/flight.ts b/packages/api/src/auth/openid/flight.ts
index 7500e3cbed..903cee96c5 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/auth/openid/flight.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/auth/openid/flight.ts
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ export interface OpenIDRefreshFlightService {
     ownerId?: string;
     tokens?: TokenResult | null;
     ttl?: number;
+    onWriteStart?: () => void;
   }) => Promise<RefreshFlightRecord | null>;
   createOpenIDRefreshFlightKey: (input: RefreshKeyInput) => string | null;
   failOpenIDRefreshFlight: (args: {
@@ -231,11 +232,13 @@ export function createOpenIDRefreshFlightService({
     ownerId,
     tokens,
     ttl = DEFAULT_FLIGHT_TTL_MS,
+    onWriteStart,
   }: {
     key?: string | null;
     ownerId?: string;
     tokens?: TokenResult | null;
     ttl?: number;
+    onWriteStart?: () => void;
   }): Promise<RefreshFlightRecord | null> {
     if (!key || !ownerId || !tokens) return null;
     const serializedTokens: TokenResult = { ...tokens };
@@ -255,10 +258,12 @@ export function createOpenIDRefreshFlightService({
     const usableTokenTtl = Number.isFinite(accessTokenExpiresAt)
       ? Math.max(1, accessTokenExpiresAt - Date.now() - OPENID_EXPIRY_BUFFER_SECONDS * 1000)
       : ttl;
+    const encryptedResult = await encrypt(JSON.stringify(serializedTokens));
+    onWriteStart?.();
     return db.completeOpenIDRefreshFlight({
       key,
       ownerId,
-      encryptedResult: await encrypt(JSON.stringify(serializedTokens)),
+      encryptedResult,
       expiresAt: new Date(Date.now() + Math.min(ttl, usableTokenTtl)),
     });
   }
diff --git a/packages/api/src/auth/openid/recovery.spec.ts b/packages/api/src/auth/openid/recovery.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ac49347ed2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/api/src/auth/openid/recovery.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+import type { OpenIDRefreshRecoveryDeps } from './recovery';
+import { createOpenIDRefreshRecoveryService } from './recovery';
+
+describe('OpenID authentication publication settlement', () => {
+  function setup() {
+    const deps = {
+      jwt: { decode: jest.fn() },
+      findOpenIDUser: jest.fn(),
+      findUser: jest.fn(),
+      getOpenIdConfig: jest.fn(),
+      getOpenIdEmail: jest.fn(),
+      getOpenIdIssuer: jest.fn(),
+      createAuthIdentityContext: jest.fn(),
+      refreshOpenIDSession: jest.fn(),
+      clearOpenIDAuthTokens: jest.fn(),
+      deleteOpenIDSession: jest.fn(),
+      createOpenIDRefreshFlightKey: jest.fn(),
+      storeRefreshTokenBridge: jest.fn(),
+      deleteRefreshTokenBridges: jest.fn(),
+      waitForOpenIDRefreshFlight: jest.fn(),
+      assertOpenIDRefreshSessionGenerationAvailable: jest.fn(),
+      revokeOpenIDRefreshFlights: jest.fn(),
+      bridgeGraceMs: 1000,
+      logger: { debug: jest.fn(), warn: jest.fn() },
+      createRefreshTokenBridgeFlightKey: jest.fn(() => 'publication'),
+      acquireOpenIDRefreshFlight: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue({
+        acquired: true,
+        ownerId: 'owner',
+      }),
+      withOpenIDRefreshFlightLease: jest.fn(({ operation }) =>
+        operation({
+          assertLeaseOwned: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(true),
+          markLeaseSettled: jest.fn(),
+        }),
+      ),
+      failOpenIDRefreshFlight: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
+      completeOpenIDRefreshFlight: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue({ status: 'completed' }),
+      getOpenIDAppAuthToken: jest.fn(() => 'app-token'),
+      storeOpenIDSession: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+      assertOpenIDRefreshFlightAvailable: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(true),
+      setOpenIDAuthTokens: jest.fn(() => 'app-token'),
+    } satisfies OpenIDRefreshRecoveryDeps;
+    const service = createOpenIDRefreshRecoveryService(deps);
+    const input = {
+      tokenset: { access_token: 'access', id_token: 'id', refresh_token: 'refresh' },
+      user: { _id: 'user' },
+      existingRefreshToken: 'refresh',
+      req: {},
+      res: {},
+    };
+    return { deps, service, input };
+  }
+
+  it('settles a missing-session failure immediately and preserves the original error', async () => {
+    const { deps, service, input } = setup();
+    const error = new Error('failed to load session');
+    const req = { session: { reload: (callback: (error: Error) => void) => callback(error) } };
+    await expect(service.sendOpenIDAuthResponse({ ...input, req })).rejects.toBe(error);
+    expect(deps.failOpenIDRefreshFlight).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      key: 'publication',
+      ownerId: 'owner',
+      error,
+    });
+    expect(deps.completeOpenIDRefreshFlight).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('preserves the request error when failure settlement also fails', async () => {
+    const { deps, service, input } = setup();
+    const error = new Error('session unavailable');
+    deps.getOpenIDAppAuthToken.mockImplementation(() => {
+      throw error;
+    });
+    deps.failOpenIDRefreshFlight.mockRejectedValue(new Error('store unavailable'));
+    await expect(service.sendOpenIDAuthResponse(input)).rejects.toBe(error);
+    expect(deps.logger.warn).toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('does not fail an indeterminate completion write', async () => {
+    const { deps, service, input } = setup();
+    const error = new Error('completion acknowledgement lost');
+    deps.completeOpenIDRefreshFlight.mockImplementation(({ onWriteStart }) => {
+      onWriteStart?.();
+      return Promise.reject(error);
+    });
+    await expect(service.sendOpenIDAuthResponse(input)).rejects.toBe(error);
+    expect(deps.failOpenIDRefreshFlight).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('settles completion preparation failures before the write starts', async () => {
+    const { deps, service, input } = setup();
+    const error = new Error('encryption failed');
+    deps.completeOpenIDRefreshFlight.mockRejectedValue(error);
+    await expect(service.sendOpenIDAuthResponse(input)).rejects.toBe(error);
+    expect(deps.failOpenIDRefreshFlight).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      key: 'publication',
+      ownerId: 'owner',
+      error,
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('leaves successful publication completed', async () => {
+    const { deps, service, input } = setup();
+    await expect(service.sendOpenIDAuthResponse(input)).resolves.toBe('app-token');
+    expect(deps.completeOpenIDRefreshFlight).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(deps.failOpenIDRefreshFlight).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/api/src/auth/openid/recovery.ts b/packages/api/src/auth/openid/recovery.ts
index f08e3edee9..d9f8b0a37b 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/auth/openid/recovery.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/auth/openid/recovery.ts
@@ -191,6 +191,7 @@ export interface OpenIDRefreshRecoveryDeps {
     key: string;
     ownerId: string;
     tokens: SharedOpenIDRefreshResult;
+    onWriteStart?: () => void;
   }) => Promise<RefreshFlightRecord | null>;
   failOpenIDRefreshFlight: (args: {
     key: string;
@@ -721,6 +722,7 @@ export function createOpenIDRefreshRecoveryService(
             preparePublication: false,
           });
         }
+        let completionStarted = false;
         return withOpenIDRefreshFlightLease({
           key,
           ownerId: flight.ownerId,
@@ -747,6 +749,9 @@ export function createOpenIDRefreshRecoveryService(
                 const completed = await completeOpenIDRefreshFlight({
                   key,
                   ownerId: flight.ownerId,
+                  onWriteStart: () => {
+                    completionStarted = true;
+                  },
                   tokens: {
                     tokenset: publishedTokenset,
                     claims: { sub: openidSubject ?? user.openidId ?? userId },
@@ -764,6 +769,22 @@ export function createOpenIDRefreshRecoveryService(
                 markLeaseSettled();
               },
             }),
+        }).catch(async (error) => {
+          /** A completion write may have succeeded despite a lost acknowledgement. */
+          if (!completionStarted) {
+            try {
+              await failOpenIDRefreshFlight({
+                key,
+                ownerId: flight.ownerId,
+                error: error instanceof Error ? error : new Error('OpenID publication failed'),
+              });
+            } catch (flightError) {
+              logger.warn('[refreshController] Failed to settle authentication publication', {
+                error: toOpenIDLogArgument(flightError),
+              });
+            }
+          }
+          throw error;
         });
       }
     }