diff --git a/packages/queue/src/store.mjs b/packages/queue/src/store.mjs
index a28a60e87..4a26e2058 100644
--- a/packages/queue/src/store.mjs
+++ b/packages/queue/src/store.mjs
@@ -528,11 +528,12 @@ function mutateAs(ctx, { verb, op, args, by, yes = false, derived = false }) {
     if (view.state === "unknown") throw refuse(unknownMessage(view));
     if (view.state === "stale" && verb !== "accept-history") throw refuse(staleMessage(view, cur.doc.log));
     // A privileged add names its gate owner. There is no default for it: the
-    // Jason default put a gate nobody meant on row 100. This check lives in the
+    // Jason default put a gate nobody meant on a row. This check lives in the
     // write path, not in applyEntry, so replay of old entries is unchanged and an
-    // older reader still loads the log.
+    // older reader still loads the log. It stays below step 3: a retry of an add
+    // recorded before this check answers with its receipt.
     if (verb === "add" && PRIVILEGED.has(actor) && cargs.gateOwner === null) {
-      throw refuse(`${actor} must pass --gate-owner SEAT on add: a privileged add has no default gate owner, so a row never gets a gate nobody meant (row 100 got jason by default)`);
+      throw refuse(`${actor} must pass --gate-owner SEAT on add: a privileged add has no default gate owner, so a row never gets a gate nobody meant`);
     }
     // Step 5.
     const resolved = resolveFor(ctx, loc, cur, verb, cargs, cmp);
diff --git a/packages/queue/tests/gate-owner.test.mjs b/packages/queue/tests/gate-owner.test.mjs
index b3407dbc6..b01e5723b 100644
--- a/packages/queue/tests/gate-owner.test.mjs
+++ b/packages/queue/tests/gate-owner.test.mjs
@@ -3,10 +3,11 @@
 // scratch repository. Replay is exercised through loadDoc, which runs the real
 // replay path over a log that holds an old privileged add with no gate owner.
 import assert from "node:assert/strict";
-import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { readFileSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { test } from "node:test";
 import {
-  applyEntry, buildDoc, canonArgs, genesisReceipt, genesisRows, loadDoc, parseMigrationMap, render, rowsArray, serialize, sha256,
+  applyEntry, buildDoc, canonArgs, genesisReceipt, genesisRows, loadDoc, logDigest, parseMigrationMap, render, rowsArray, serialize, sha256, splitView,
 } from "../src/queue.mjs";
 import { QueueError } from "../src/errors.mjs";
 import { MAP_ROWS, cli, genesisCommitted, mapText, scratchRepo } from "./helpers.mjs";
@@ -82,6 +83,7 @@ test("the CLI refuses a privileged add without --gate-owner, for jason and sage,
     assert.equal(r.code, 2, r.err);
     assert.match(r.err, /--gate-owner/);
     assert.match(r.err, /no default gate owner/);
+    assert.doesNotMatch(r.err, /row \d+/, "the refusal states the rule, not a row's history");
     assert.deepEqual(readFileSync(repo.queuePath), queueBefore);
     assert.deepEqual(readFileSync(repo.viewPath), viewBefore);
     assert.equal(JSON.parse(readFileSync(repo.queuePath, "utf8")).revision, revBefore);
@@ -113,3 +115,39 @@ test("the CLI add by a non-privileged seat gets jason and can't name a gate owne
   assert.match(refusedRun.err, /only a privileged actor may set gateOwner on add/);
   assert.deepEqual(readFileSync(repo.queuePath), before);
 });
+
+// Step 3 of the write path answers a recorded op before the gate-owner check
+// runs. An add recorded before row 101 has a null gate owner, so a retry of it
+// carries none either; hoisting the check above step 3 would refuse that retry.
+// Every other retry test passes --gate-owner, so this one pins the order.
+test("a retried sage add recorded with no gate owner answers (already recorded at rev N) and writes nothing", (t) => {
+  const repo = scratchRepo(t);
+  genesisCommitted(repo);
+  const before = JSON.parse(readFileSync(repo.queuePath, "utf8"));
+  const doc = addUnder(before, "sage", addArgs(), 2);
+  const entry = doc.log.at(-1);
+  assert.equal(entry.args.gateOwner, null);
+  assert.equal(entry.by, "sage");
+  // The state the old write path left: queue.json, the view and the witness all at the add's rev.
+  const bytes = Buffer.from(serialize(doc));
+  const parts = splitView(readFileSync(repo.viewPath, "utf8"));
+  writeFileSync(repo.queuePath, bytes);
+  writeFileSync(repo.viewPath, parts.head + render(doc.rows, entry.rev) + parts.tail);
+  writeFileSync(join(repo.gitDir, "mosaic-queue.head"), `${JSON.stringify({ revision: entry.rev, logDigest: logDigest(doc.log, entry.rev), fileSha: sha256(bytes), at: entry.at })}\n`);
+  const queueBefore = readFileSync(repo.queuePath);
+  const viewBefore = readFileSync(repo.viewPath);
+
+  const retry = ["add", "--op", entry.op, "--piece", "Gate row", "--gate", "g", "--brief", "docs/plans/brief-b.md#Queue"];
+  const r = cli(repo, retry, { by: "sage" });
+  assert.equal(r.code, 0, r.err);
+  assert.match(r.out, new RegExp(`\\(already recorded at rev ${entry.rev}\\)`));
+  assert.deepEqual(readFileSync(repo.queuePath), queueBefore);
+  assert.deepEqual(readFileSync(repo.viewPath), viewBefore);
+  assert.equal(JSON.parse(readFileSync(repo.queuePath, "utf8")).revision, entry.rev);
+
+  // The check still bites a new op with the same arguments.
+  const fresh = cli(repo, ["add", "--op", "add-gate-fresh-1", ...retry.slice(3)], { by: "sage" });
+  assert.equal(fresh.code, 2, fresh.err);
+  assert.match(fresh.err, /--gate-owner/);
+  assert.deepEqual(readFileSync(repo.queuePath), queueBefore);
+});