diff --git a/docs/plugin-architecture.md b/docs/plugin-architecture.md
index 288e8113fd..a61c216de5 100644
--- a/docs/plugin-architecture.md
+++ b/docs/plugin-architecture.md
@@ -462,6 +462,7 @@ type PluginUpdateCapability = {
   getQueue(id: string): PluginUpdateQueueSnapshot | undefined;
   subscribeQueue(id: string, listener: () => void): () => void;
   cancelQueue(id: string): boolean;
+  getOwnerStatus?(ownerId: PluginUpdateOwnerId): "retired" | "unknown"; // missing on older hosts
 };
 ```
 
@@ -546,6 +547,23 @@ this contract does not provide cross-restart idempotency. An absent capability
 or an `unavailable` snapshot is not evidence that a prior ambiguous submission
 was rejected. A refresh does not resolve an earlier ambiguous submission.
 
+`getOwnerStatus(ownerId)` tells a caller whether a provider lifetime it captured
+earlier is over. It reports `retired` only after this host process saw that exact
+provider disposed with no queued or reviewing item and no confirmed operation
+left, so that lifetime can no longer open a review or install anything. A
+confirmed update keeps its provider unretired until the operation finishes and
+releases the shared review. Everything else is `unknown`: any provider not yet
+disposed, whether current, replaced or unregistered; an ID this host never
+registered; a lifetime older than the 16 most recently registered lifetimes; and
+any ID after a host restart. It is a point-in-time read: retirement does not
+notify subscribers. Feature-check the method; an older host without it gives no
+retirement evidence. `retired` does not say
+what happened to an earlier request: a `getQueueRequest()` result of `unknown`
+stays unknown, and retirement is not evidence of rejection, cancellation,
+installation or activation. It only means no review or operation from that
+lifetime remains, so any new submission goes through the current provider and
+the normal explicit review.
+
 `requestInstall` never installs silently. It opens Settings → Plugins with the Git
 source prefilled and read-only, and the user still chooses **Find**, reviews the
 existing access review, and confirms. The promise resolves with what the user did:
diff --git a/src/plugins/installer.test.ts b/src/plugins/installer.test.ts
index fb87d79bb9..8121523677 100644
--- a/src/plugins/installer.test.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/installer.test.ts
@@ -421,6 +421,58 @@ it("isolates request identities by plugin and replays after that caller remounts
   }
 });
 
+it("reports an old provider retired to plugins only after its confirmed update releases the shared review", async () => {
+  const f = await setupUpdates();
+  const replacement = createPluginUpdates(f.manager as never, async () => null);
+  let stopReplacement = () => {};
+  try {
+    const market = (await f.as("example.market")).updates;
+    const other = (await f.as("example.other")).updates;
+    const ownerId = market?.ownerId;
+    if (!market || !other || !ownerId) throw new Error("Expected updates");
+    const queue = market.queueUpdates([f.token]);
+    const review = f.updates.startNextReview(f.requests.tryHoldReview);
+    if (!queue || !review) throw new Error("Expected an open update review");
+    expect(f.updates.beginOperation(queue.id, review.token)).toBeDefined();
+
+    stopReplacement = f.requests.registerUpdates(replacement);
+    f.unregister();
+    f.updates.dispose();
+    expect(market.ownerId).toBe(replacement.capability.ownerId);
+    expect(market.getOwnerStatus?.(ownerId)).toBe("unknown");
+    expect(f.requests.tryHoldReview()).toBeUndefined();
+    await expect(
+      f.core.submit(base, { id: "example.market", lifetime: () => () => {} }),
+    ).resolves.toBe("unavailable");
+    await replacement.check();
+    const next = replacement.capability.getSnapshot().candidates[0]?.token;
+    if (!next) throw new Error("Expected a replacement candidate");
+    expect(market.queueUpdates([next])).toBeDefined();
+    expect(
+      replacement.startNextReview(f.requests.tryHoldReview),
+    ).toBeUndefined();
+
+    expect(f.updates.finishReview(queue.id, review.token, "updated")).toBe(
+      true,
+    );
+    expect(market.getOwnerStatus?.(ownerId)).toBe("retired");
+    expect(other.getOwnerStatus?.(ownerId)).toBe("retired");
+    await f.fibers[0]?.dispose();
+    const remounted = (await f.as("example.market")).updates;
+    expect(remounted?.getOwnerStatus?.(ownerId)).toBe("retired");
+    const replacementId = replacement.capability.ownerId;
+    if (!replacementId) throw new Error("Expected a replacement identity");
+    expect(remounted?.getOwnerStatus?.(replacementId)).toBe("unknown");
+    expect(replacement.startNextReview(f.requests.tryHoldReview)).toBeDefined();
+  } finally {
+    stopReplacement();
+    replacement.dispose();
+    f.unregister();
+    f.updates.dispose();
+    await Promise.all(f.fibers.map((fiber) => fiber.dispose()));
+  }
+});
+
 it("bounds sequential plugin refreshes without throttling host-forced checks", async () => {
   vi.useFakeTimers();
   const f = await setupUpdates();
diff --git a/src/plugins/installer.ts b/src/plugins/installer.ts
index 763c32182b..dc0bcee958 100644
--- a/src/plugins/installer.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/installer.ts
@@ -476,6 +476,8 @@ export function createPluginInstallerService(
         getQueueRequest: updates.getQueueRequest,
         getQueue: updates.getQueue,
         cancelQueue: updates.cancelQueue,
+        getOwnerStatus: (ownerId) =>
+          updates.getOwnerStatus?.(ownerId) ?? "unknown",
         subscribe(listener) {
           const stop = caller.effect(() => updates.subscribe(listener));
           return () => void stop();
diff --git a/src/plugins/updates.test.ts b/src/plugins/updates.test.ts
index f3d8fa6a02..ae5812c804 100644
--- a/src/plugins/updates.test.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/updates.test.ts
@@ -933,6 +933,161 @@ it("returns unknown when a queue request's provider is replaced", async () => {
   replacement.dispose();
 });
 
+it("reports a replaced provider retired only after disposal ends its queued and unopened reviews", async () => {
+  const f = fixture();
+  const bridge = createPluginUpdateCapabilityBridge();
+  const original = createPluginUpdates(f.manager, f.authorize);
+  bridge.register(original);
+  const token = (await bridge.capability.refresh()).candidates[0]?.token;
+  const ownerId = bridge.capability.ownerId;
+  if (!token || !ownerId) throw new Error("Expected a retained provider");
+  const reviewing = bridge.capability.queueUpdates([token]);
+  const queued = bridge.capability.queueUpdates([token]);
+  const review = startReview(original);
+  if (!reviewing || !queued || !review) throw new Error("Expected a review");
+
+  const replacement = createPluginUpdates(f.manager, f.authorize);
+  const unregisterReplacement = bridge.register(replacement);
+  const nextOwnerId = bridge.capability.ownerId;
+  if (!nextOwnerId) throw new Error("Expected a replacement provider");
+  expect(original.capability.getQueue(reviewing.id)?.status).toBe("reviewing");
+  expect(original.capability.getQueue(queued.id)?.status).toBe("queued");
+  for (const id of [ownerId, nextOwnerId, "unseen" as typeof ownerId])
+    expect(bridge.capability.getOwnerStatus?.(id)).toBe("unknown");
+
+  original.dispose();
+  expect(original.capability.getQueue(reviewing.id)?.status).toBe("cancelled");
+  expect(original.capability.getQueue(queued.id)?.status).toBe("cancelled");
+  for (let query = 0; query < 3; query++)
+    expect(bridge.capability.getOwnerStatus?.(ownerId)).toBe("retired");
+  expect(bridge.forCaller("example.market").getOwnerStatus?.(ownerId)).toBe(
+    "retired",
+  );
+  expect(original.beginOperation(review.queueId, review.token)).toBeUndefined();
+  expect(startReview(original)).toBeUndefined();
+  expect(original.capability.queueUpdates([token])).toBeUndefined();
+  expect(bridge.capability.getOwnerStatus?.(nextOwnerId)).toBe("unknown");
+  expect(
+    bridge.capability.getQueueRequest({
+      ownerId,
+      requestId: "historical-request",
+      tokens: [token],
+    }),
+  ).toEqual({ status: "unknown" });
+
+  unregisterReplacement();
+  replacement.dispose();
+});
+
+it.each([
+  ["finished", "installed"],
+  ["ended", "failed"],
+  ["cancelled", "cancelled"],
+  ["reconfirmed", "failed"],
+] as const)(
+  "keeps a confirmed operation's provider unknown past disposal until it is %s",
+  async (completion, itemStatus) => {
+    const f = fixture();
+    const bridge = createPluginUpdateCapabilityBridge();
+    const original = createPluginUpdates(f.manager, f.authorize);
+    bridge.register(original);
+    const token = (await bridge.capability.refresh()).candidates[0]?.token;
+    const ownerId = bridge.capability.ownerId;
+    if (!token || !ownerId) throw new Error("Expected a retained provider");
+    const queue = bridge.capability.queueUpdates([token]);
+    let held = false;
+    const statusAtRelease = vi.fn(() =>
+      bridge.capability.getOwnerStatus?.(ownerId),
+    );
+    const hold = () => {
+      held = true;
+      return () => {
+        statusAtRelease();
+        held = false;
+      };
+    };
+    const review = original.startNextReview(hold);
+    if (!queue || !review) throw new Error("Expected a review");
+    const unconfirm = original.beginOperation(queue.id, review.token);
+    expect(unconfirm).toEqual(expect.any(Function));
+
+    const replacement = createPluginUpdates(f.manager, f.authorize);
+    const unregisterReplacement = bridge.register(replacement);
+    original.dispose();
+    if (completion === "finished" || completion === "ended")
+      expect(original.capability.cancelQueue(queue.id)).toBe(true);
+    expect(original.getActiveReview()).toBeDefined();
+    expect(held).toBe(true);
+    expect(bridge.capability.getOwnerStatus?.(ownerId)).toBe("unknown");
+    if (completion === "finished") {
+      expect(original.finishReview(queue.id, review.token, "updated")).toBe(
+        true,
+      );
+    } else {
+      unconfirm?.();
+      expect(original.getActiveReview()).toBeDefined();
+      expect(bridge.capability.getOwnerStatus?.(ownerId)).toBe("unknown");
+      if (completion === "ended")
+        expect(
+          original.endReview(queue.id, review.token, "install failed"),
+        ).toBe(true);
+      else if (completion === "cancelled")
+        expect(original.capability.cancelQueue(queue.id)).toBe(true);
+      else
+        expect(original.beginOperation(queue.id, review.token)).toBeUndefined();
+    }
+
+    expect(statusAtRelease).toHaveReturnedWith("unknown");
+    expect(held).toBe(false);
+    expect(original.getActiveReview()).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(bridge.capability.getOwnerStatus?.(ownerId)).toBe("retired");
+    expect(original.capability.getQueue(queue.id)?.items[0]?.status).toBe(
+      itemStatus,
+    );
+    expect(original.capability.queueUpdates([token])).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(original.startNextReview(hold)).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(held).toBe(false);
+    unregisterReplacement();
+    replacement.dispose();
+  },
+);
+
+it("keeps live, unregistered, evicted and restarted provider lifetimes unknown", async () => {
+  const f = fixture();
+  const bridge = createPluginUpdateCapabilityBridge();
+  const original = createPluginUpdates(f.manager, f.authorize);
+  const ownerId = original.capability.ownerId;
+  if (!ownerId) throw new Error("Expected a provider identity");
+  expect(bridge.capability.getOwnerStatus?.(ownerId)).toBe("unknown");
+  const unregister = bridge.register(original);
+  expect(bridge.capability.getOwnerStatus?.(ownerId)).toBe("unknown");
+  unregister();
+  expect(bridge.capability.getOwnerStatus?.(ownerId)).toBe("unknown");
+  original.dispose();
+  expect(bridge.capability.getOwnerStatus?.(ownerId)).toBe("retired");
+  expect(
+    createPluginUpdateCapabilityBridge().capability.getOwnerStatus?.(ownerId),
+  ).toBe("unknown");
+
+  const later: ReturnType<typeof createPluginUpdates>[] = [];
+  for (let index = 0; index < 15; index++) {
+    const next = createPluginUpdates(f.manager, f.authorize);
+    bridge.register(next)();
+    next.dispose();
+    later.push(next);
+  }
+  expect(bridge.capability.getOwnerStatus?.(ownerId)).toBe("retired");
+  const newest = createPluginUpdates(f.manager, f.authorize);
+  const unregisterNewest = bridge.register(newest);
+  expect(bridge.capability.getOwnerStatus?.(ownerId)).toBe("unknown");
+  const laterIds = later.map((next) => next.capability.ownerId);
+  expect(laterIds).not.toContain(undefined);
+  for (const id of laterIds)
+    if (id) expect(bridge.capability.getOwnerStatus?.(id)).toBe("retired");
+  unregisterNewest();
+  newest.dispose();
+});
+
 it("does not replay an ambiguous update request across checker lifetimes", async () => {
   const f = fixture();
   const first = createPluginUpdates(f.manager, f.authorize);
diff --git a/src/plugins/updates.ts b/src/plugins/updates.ts
index 3188b2a0a3..7409514a94 100644
--- a/src/plugins/updates.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/updates.ts
@@ -156,6 +156,12 @@ export type PluginUpdateCapability = Readonly<{
   subscribeQueue(id: string, listener: () => void): () => void;
   /** Stops queued/unopened reviews; an already-confirmed operation is not undone. */
   cancelQueue(id: string): boolean;
+  /**
+   * `retired` only when this host process saw that exact provider lifetime end
+   * with no queued, reviewing, or confirmed operation left; otherwise `unknown`.
+   * Missing on older hosts. Says nothing about the outcome of an earlier request.
+   */
+  getOwnerStatus?(ownerId: PluginUpdateOwnerId): "retired" | "unknown";
 }>;
 
 function freezeSnapshot(snapshot: PluginUpdateSnapshot): PluginUpdateSnapshot {
@@ -244,6 +250,7 @@ export const updateSourceKey = (source: GitUpdateSource) =>
 
 const MAX_RETAINED_UPDATE_QUEUES = 50;
 const MAX_RETAINED_UPDATE_REQUESTS = 1024;
+const MAX_RETAINED_UPDATE_OWNERS = 16;
 
 function uniqueQueueTokens(tokens: readonly PluginUpdateToken[]) {
   return [...new Set(tokens)];
@@ -260,6 +267,7 @@ export function createPluginUpdates(
   ) => Promise<{ repository: string; token: string } | null>,
 ) {
   const ownerId = crypto.randomUUID() as PluginUpdateOwnerId;
+  const lifetime = { ownerId, retired: false };
   let updates: readonly PluginUpdate[] = [];
   let closed = false;
   let pending: Promise<number | undefined> | undefined;
@@ -286,6 +294,8 @@ export function createPluginUpdates(
     const release = releaseActiveReview;
     releaseActiveReview = undefined;
     release?.();
+    // A confirmed operation keeps its review, and so this lifetime, open past dispose.
+    if (closed && !activeReview) lifetime.retired = true;
   };
   const key = (update: PluginUpdate) =>
     `${update.id}:${updateSourceKey(update.source)}:${update.candidate?.revision ?? update.error}`;
@@ -949,6 +959,7 @@ export function createPluginUpdates(
   return {
     snapshot: () => updates,
     capability,
+    lifetime: lifetime as Readonly<typeof lifetime>,
     forCaller(callerId: string): PluginUpdateCapability {
       return {
         ...capability,
@@ -1019,8 +1030,16 @@ export function createPluginUpdateCapabilityBridge() {
     candidates: Object.freeze([]),
     errors: Object.freeze([]),
   });
-  let provider: Pick<PluginUpdates, "capability" | "forCaller"> | undefined;
+  let provider:
+    | Pick<PluginUpdates, "capability" | "forCaller" | "lifetime">
+    | undefined;
   let unsubscribeProvider: (() => void) | undefined;
+  // Keep lifetime records, not providers, so replaced providers can be collected.
+  const lifetimes = new Map<PluginUpdateOwnerId, PluginUpdates["lifetime"]>();
+  const getOwnerStatus = (ownerId: PluginUpdateOwnerId) =>
+    lifetimes.get(ownerId)?.retired
+      ? ("retired" as const)
+      : ("unknown" as const);
   const listeners = new Set<() => void>();
   const notify = () => {
     notifySafely(listeners);
@@ -1054,6 +1073,7 @@ export function createPluginUpdateCapabilityBridge() {
         });
       },
       cancelQueue: (id) => resolve()?.cancelQueue(id) ?? false,
+      getOwnerStatus,
     };
     return capability;
   };
@@ -1066,6 +1086,11 @@ export function createPluginUpdateCapabilityBridge() {
     register(next: NonNullable<typeof provider>) {
       unsubscribeProvider?.();
       provider = next;
+      lifetimes.delete(next.lifetime.ownerId);
+      lifetimes.set(next.lifetime.ownerId, next.lifetime);
+      // An evicted lifetime becomes unknown, never retired.
+      for (const id of lifetimes.keys())
+        if (lifetimes.size > MAX_RETAINED_UPDATE_OWNERS) lifetimes.delete(id);
       unsubscribeProvider = next.capability.subscribe(notify);
       notify();
       return () => {