diff --git a/packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/non-progress-churn.test.ts b/packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/non-progress-churn.test.ts
index bc3c2d84ce..17d29c4dcc 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/non-progress-churn.test.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/non-progress-churn.test.ts
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ describe("reliability interactions: non-progress churn", () => {
     manager.stop();
   });
 
-  it("re-queues incomplete STUCK_LOOP_EXHAUSTED tasks in todo when the churn signal does not fire", async () => {
+  it("parks incomplete STUCK_LOOP_EXHAUSTED tasks in todo when the churn signal does not fire", async () => {
     const task = baseTask({ id: "FN-5168-LOOP", stuckKillCount: 6 });
     const store = createStore(task);
     const manager = new SelfHealingManager(store, { rootDir: "/tmp/repo" });
@@ -210,19 +210,19 @@ describe("reliability interactions: non-progress churn", () => {
 
     await detector.killAndRetry(task.id, 60_000);
 
-    expect(task.error).toBeNull();
-    expect(task.status).toBe("queued");
+    expect(task.error).toContain("STUCK_LOOP_EXHAUSTED: incomplete task exhausted stuck kill budget");
+    expect(task.status).toBe("failed");
     expect(task.column).toBe("todo");
-    expect(task.paused).toBe(false);
+    expect(task.paused).toBe(true);
     // FN-6252 / Move-Task contract: engine rebounds do not write userPaused,
     // so a never-user-paused task remains undefined while still not user-paused.
     expect(task.userPaused).not.toBe(true);
-    expect(task.pausedReason).toBeNull();
+    expect(task.pausedReason).toBe("stuck-loop-exhausted-manual-intervention-required");
     expect(task.stuckKillCount).toBe(7);
     expect(task.steps).toEqual([{ name: "Implement", status: "in-progress" }]);
-    expect(task.log?.some((entry) => entry.action.includes("incomplete task exhausted stuck kill budget"))).toBe(true);
+    expect(task.log?.some((entry) => entry.action.includes("Parked in todo with progress preserved"))).toBe(true);
     expect(store.handoffToReview).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
-    expect(isRunnableQueuedOverlapCandidate(task, [task])).toBe(true);
+    expect(isRunnableQueuedOverlapCandidate(task, [task])).toBe(false);
 
     manager.stop();
   });
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/todo-inprogress-flapping.test.ts b/packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/todo-inprogress-flapping.test.ts
index 445d1ac490..fe51c18528 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/todo-inprogress-flapping.test.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/todo-inprogress-flapping.test.ts
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ describe("FN-5941 reliability interactions: todo/in-progress flapping", () => {
     manager.stop();
   });
 
-  it("still requeues a genuinely dead task when stuck-kill budget is exhausted", async () => {
+  it("parks a genuinely dead incomplete task when stuck-kill budget is exhausted", async () => {
     const task = makeTask(rootDir, {
       id: "FN-5941-DEAD",
       stuckKillCount: 6,
@@ -314,7 +314,10 @@ describe("FN-5941 reliability interactions: todo/in-progress flapping", () => {
     }));
     expect(task.column).toBe("todo");
     expect(task.stuckKillCount).toBe(7);
-    expect(task.status).toBe("queued");
+    expect(task.status).toBe("failed");
+    expect(task.paused).toBe(true);
+    expect(task.pausedReason).toBe("stuck-loop-exhausted-manual-intervention-required");
+    expect(task.userPaused).not.toBe(true);
 
     manager.stop();
   });
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/self-healing.ts b/packages/engine/src/self-healing.ts
index 1a408873b6..0d1ca86e46 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/self-healing.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/self-healing.ts
@@ -1214,6 +1214,10 @@ export class SelfHealingManager {
    *   progress preserved, marked failed, and paused for manual resume or
    *   decomposition; tasks with only terminal steps keep the legacy failed
    *   `in-review` handoff path.
+   *
+   * FNXC:SelfHealing 2026-06-14-10:51:
+   * Incomplete stuck-loop exhaustion must park work in a failed/paused state before moving columns, because a post-move patch failure must not leave the task scheduler-runnable.
+   * Engine-owned recovery must not mutate `userPaused`; user intent stays authoritative across races.
    * - `STUCK_NO_PROGRESS_CHURN`: skips the budget entirely and terminalizes on
    *   the first trigger with operator guidance to decompose or rescope.
    *
@@ -1316,9 +1320,7 @@ export class SelfHealingManager {
           }
 
           log.warn(`${taskId} exceeded stuck kill budget (${newCount}/${maxKills}, reason=${reason}) with incomplete steps — parking in todo with progress preserved`);
-          const exhaustedError =
-            `STUCK_LOOP_EXHAUSTED: incomplete task exhausted stuck kill budget (${newCount}/${maxKills}) after last reason=${reason}. ` +
-            "Progress was preserved; manually retry, decompose, or rescope before execution resumes.";
+          const exhaustedError = `STUCK_LOOP_EXHAUSTED: incomplete task exhausted stuck kill budget (${newCount}/${maxKills}) after last reason=${reason}. Progress was preserved; manually retry, decompose, or rescope before execution resumes.`;
           const parkUpdate = {
             stuckKillCount: newCount,
             status: "failed",