diff --git a/src/orchestrator/factory.test.ts b/src/orchestrator/factory.test.ts
index 8dcf790c..f347b1b4 100644
--- a/src/orchestrator/factory.test.ts
+++ b/src/orchestrator/factory.test.ts
@@ -4962,6 +4962,65 @@ describe('FactoryLoop', () => {
     }
   })
 
+  // Factory admits an issue to dispatch on EITHER the title prefix or the
+  // scope label, but orphan recovery demanded the label alone. An issue
+  // admitted by title could therefore be dispatched and then never un-stuck.
+  // factory#139 is the live instance: title `[factory] ...`, and its only
+  // label is `factory:in-progress`.
+  it('recovers an orphaned in-progress GitHub issue that is in scope by title prefix alone', async () => {
+    const root = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'factory-orphan-title-scope-'))
+    try {
+      const path = githubIssueCompactPath('AgentWorkforce', 'pear', 139)
+      const payload = { title: '[factory-e2e] Title-scoped orphan', labels: ['pear', 'factory:in-progress'] }
+      // Go through the Relayfile issue index, which is what indexed production
+      // deployments use. The index carries no title, so a title-scoped row can
+      // only be retained via its `factory:in-progress` lifecycle label — fixing
+      // the recovery gate alone leaves this issue unread and still stranded.
+      const mount = new FakeMountClient({
+        '/github/repos/AgentWorkforce/pear/issues/_index.json': [
+          {
+            id: '139',
+            number: 139,
+            title: '[factory-e2e] Title-scoped orphan',
+            updated: '2026-08-17T10:00:00Z',
+            state: 'open',
+            labels: ['pear', 'factory:in-progress'],
+          },
+        ],
+        [path]: githubIssueFile(139, payload),
+      })
+      mount.setSubRoot('/linear/issues', 'absent')
+      const fleet = new FakeFleetClient()
+      const githubWriteback = new RecordingGithubWriteback()
+      const stateStore = new InMemoryStateStore({ batchSize: 4 })
+      const issue = parseGithubFactoryIssue(path, githubIssueFile(139, payload))
+      await stateStore.recordDispatchAttempt('factory-test', issueKey(issue), {
+        attempts: 1,
+        inFlight: true,
+        terminal: false,
+        backoffUntilMs: 0,
+      })
+      const restartedFactory = createFactory(config({
+        issueSource: 'github',
+        loop: { registryPath: join(root, 'registry.json') },
+      }), {
+        mount,
+        fleet,
+        stateStore,
+        triage: new StaticTriage(),
+        githubWriteback,
+        probePrGhRunner: async () => ({ stdout: '[]' }),
+      })
+
+      await restartedFactory.runOnce()
+
+      expect(restartedFactory.status().counters.githubOrphanedInProgressRecovered).toBe(1)
+      expect(githubWriteback.statuses).toContainEqual({ key: '139', status: 'ready' })
+    } finally {
+      await rm(root, { recursive: true, force: true })
+    }
+  })
+
   it('releases a dead durable GitHub claim and redispatches the issue', async () => {
     const root = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'factory-dead-lifecycle-claim-'))
     try {
diff --git a/src/orchestrator/factory.ts b/src/orchestrator/factory.ts
index 29087793..7a221860 100644
--- a/src/orchestrator/factory.ts
+++ b/src/orchestrator/factory.ts
@@ -2931,12 +2931,13 @@ export class FactoryLoop implements Factory {
         const labels = isGithubIssue(issue)
           ? new Set(issue.labels.map((label) => label.trim().toLowerCase()))
           : undefined
-        const requiredLabel = this.#config.safety.requireLabel.trim().toLowerCase()
+        // Must stay the same scope test as dispatch and as
+        // #reconcileOrphanedGithubInProgress. Gating on the scope label alone
+        // left every title-scoped issue stuck in `factory:in-progress` forever.
         const mayRecoverGithubOrphan = !wasReady &&
           !dryRun &&
           issueSource === 'github' &&
-          Boolean(requiredLabel) &&
-          Boolean(labels?.has(requiredLabel)) &&
+          isInFactoryScope(issue, this.#config.safety) &&
           Boolean(labels?.has('factory:in-progress')) &&
           !labels?.has('factory:human-review')
         if (!mayRecoverGithubOrphan) {
@@ -3568,10 +3569,14 @@ export class FactoryLoop implements Factory {
     if (!context) return { recovered: false, reason: 'orphan-recovery safety context is unavailable' }
     if (!isGithubIssue(issue)) return { recovered: false, reason: 'issue is not GitHub-native' }
     const labels = new Set(issue.labels.map((label) => label.trim().toLowerCase()))
-    const required = this.#config.safety.requireLabel.trim().toLowerCase()
+    // Recovery must admit exactly what dispatch admits. Dispatch accepts the
+    // configured title prefix OR the scope label (`isInFactoryScope`), but this
+    // gate used to demand the label alone — so an issue admitted by its title
+    // could be dispatched and then never un-stuck, keeping `factory:in-progress`
+    // forever once its dispatch died. factory#139 is the live instance: title
+    // `[factory] ...`, and its only label is `factory:in-progress`.
     if (
-      !required ||
-      !labels.has(required) ||
+      !isInFactoryScope(issue, this.#config.safety) ||
       !labels.has('factory:in-progress') ||
       labels.has('factory:human-review')
     ) return { recovered: false, reason: 'issue is not an orphan-recovery candidate' }
@@ -7175,7 +7180,16 @@ export class FactoryLoop implements Factory {
         !labels.every((label) => typeof label === 'string')) {
         return undefined
       }
-      if (state !== 'open' || !labels.some((label) => label.trim().toLowerCase() === requiredLabel)) {
+      // Retain Factory's own lifecycle rows even when they lack the scope
+      // label. The index carries no title, so a title-scoped issue cannot be
+      // recognised here — and dropping it means its file is never read and the
+      // orphan-recovery sweep never sees it. `factory:in-progress` is a label
+      // only Factory applies, so a row carrying it is by definition
+      // Factory-touched and worth reading; `isInFactoryScope` downstream
+      // remains the authority on whether anything may be done with it.
+      const rowLabels = labels.map((label) => label.trim().toLowerCase())
+      if (state !== 'open' ||
+        !(rowLabels.includes(requiredLabel) || rowLabels.includes('factory:in-progress'))) {
         continue
       }
       paths.push(`${GITHUB_ISSUE_ROOT}/${owner}__${repo}/issues/by-id/${number}.json`)