diff --git a/internal/commands/projects.go b/internal/commands/projects.go
index 3518bf7f..415f7bec 100644
--- a/internal/commands/projects.go
+++ b/internal/commands/projects.go
@@ -356,10 +356,18 @@ Examples:
 				return convertSDKError(err)
 			}
 
-			return app.OK(project,
+			respOpts := []output.ResponseOption{
 				output.WithEntity("project"),
 				output.WithSummary("Project updated"),
-			)
+			}
+			freshProject, err := app.Account().Projects().Get(cmd.Context(), projectID)
+			if err != nil {
+				respOpts = append(respOpts, output.WithDiagnostic(fmt.Sprintf("Project updated, but fetching the latest project state failed: %v", err)))
+			} else {
+				project = freshProject
+			}
+
+			return app.OK(project, respOpts...)
 		},
 	}
 
diff --git a/internal/commands/projects_test.go b/internal/commands/projects_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6ad1a02d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/commands/projects_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,152 @@
+package commands
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
+	"github.com/basecamp/basecamp-sdk/go/pkg/basecamp"
+
+	"github.com/basecamp/basecamp-cli/internal/appctx"
+	"github.com/basecamp/basecamp-cli/internal/auth"
+	"github.com/basecamp/basecamp-cli/internal/config"
+	"github.com/basecamp/basecamp-cli/internal/names"
+	"github.com/basecamp/basecamp-cli/internal/output"
+)
+
+type mockProjectUpdateTransport struct {
+	getCount       int
+	putCount       int
+	putName        string
+	putDescription string
+	failRefetch    bool
+}
+
+func (t *mockProjectUpdateTransport) RoundTrip(req *http.Request) (*http.Response, error) {
+	header := make(http.Header)
+	header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+
+	if !strings.Contains(req.URL.Path, "/projects/123") {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unexpected request path: %s", req.URL.Path)
+	}
+
+	switch req.Method {
+	case http.MethodGet:
+		t.getCount++
+		if t.getCount > 1 && t.failRefetch {
+			return jsonResponse(400, `{"error":"boom"}`, header), nil
+		}
+		description := "Old description"
+		updatedAt := "2026-06-01T00:00:00.000Z"
+		if t.getCount > 1 {
+			description = "New description"
+			updatedAt = "2026-06-02T00:00:00.000Z"
+		}
+		return jsonResponse(200, fmt.Sprintf(`{"id":123,"name":"Test Project","description":%q,"updated_at":%q}`, description, updatedAt), header), nil
+	case http.MethodPut:
+		t.putCount++
+		var body map[string]any
+		if err := json.NewDecoder(req.Body).Decode(&body); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("decode update body: %w", err)
+		}
+		if name, ok := body["name"].(string); ok {
+			t.putName = name
+		}
+		if description, ok := body["description"].(string); ok {
+			t.putDescription = description
+		}
+		return jsonResponse(200, `{"id":123,"name":"Test Project","description":"Old description","updated_at":"2026-06-01T00:00:00.000Z"}`, header), nil
+	default:
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unexpected method: %s", req.Method)
+	}
+}
+
+func jsonResponse(status int, body string, header http.Header) *http.Response {
+	return &http.Response{
+		StatusCode: status,
+		Body:       io.NopCloser(strings.NewReader(body)),
+		Header:     header,
+	}
+}
+
+func setupProjectsMockApp(t *testing.T, transport http.RoundTripper) (*appctx.App, *bytes.Buffer) {
+	t.Helper()
+	t.Setenv("BASECAMP_NO_KEYRING", "1")
+
+	cfg := &config.Config{AccountID: "99999"}
+	sdkClient := basecamp.NewClient(&basecamp.Config{}, &testTokenProvider{},
+		basecamp.WithTransport(transport),
+		basecamp.WithMaxRetries(1),
+	)
+	authMgr := auth.NewManager(cfg, nil)
+	buf := &bytes.Buffer{}
+
+	return &appctx.App{
+		Config: cfg,
+		Auth:   authMgr,
+		SDK:    sdkClient,
+		Names:  names.NewResolver(sdkClient, authMgr, cfg.AccountID),
+		Output: output.New(output.Options{Format: output.FormatJSON, Writer: buf}),
+	}, buf
+}
+
+func TestProjectsUpdateReturnsFreshProjectAfterDescriptionChange(t *testing.T) {
+	transport := &mockProjectUpdateTransport{}
+	app, out := setupProjectsMockApp(t, transport)
+
+	cmd := NewProjectsCmd()
+	err := executeCommand(cmd, app, "update", "123", "--description", "New description")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, transport.putCount)
+	assert.Equal(t, "Test Project", transport.putName)
+	assert.Equal(t, "New description", transport.putDescription)
+	assert.Equal(t, 2, transport.getCount, "description-only update should fetch the current name, then refetch the fresh project after update")
+
+	var envelope projectUpdateEnvelope
+	require.NoError(t, json.Unmarshal(out.Bytes(), &envelope))
+	assert.True(t, envelope.OK)
+	assert.Equal(t, int64(123), envelope.Data.ID)
+	assert.Equal(t, "Test Project", envelope.Data.Name)
+	assert.Equal(t, "New description", envelope.Data.Description)
+	assert.Equal(t, "2026-06-02T00:00:00Z", envelope.Data.UpdatedAt)
+	assert.Empty(t, envelope.Notice)
+}
+
+func TestProjectsUpdateFallsBackToUpdateResponseWhenRefetchFails(t *testing.T) {
+	transport := &mockProjectUpdateTransport{failRefetch: true}
+	app, out := setupProjectsMockApp(t, transport)
+
+	cmd := NewProjectsCmd()
+	err := executeCommand(cmd, app, "update", "123", "--description", "New description")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, transport.putCount)
+	assert.Equal(t, 2, transport.getCount)
+
+	var envelope projectUpdateEnvelope
+	require.NoError(t, json.Unmarshal(out.Bytes(), &envelope))
+	assert.True(t, envelope.OK)
+	assert.Equal(t, int64(123), envelope.Data.ID)
+	assert.Equal(t, "Test Project", envelope.Data.Name)
+	assert.Equal(t, "Old description", envelope.Data.Description)
+	assert.Contains(t, envelope.Notice, "Project updated, but fetching the latest project state failed")
+}
+
+type projectUpdateEnvelope struct {
+	OK     bool   `json:"ok"`
+	Notice string `json:"notice"`
+	Data   struct {
+		ID          int64  `json:"id"`
+		Name        string `json:"name"`
+		Description string `json:"description"`
+		UpdatedAt   string `json:"updated_at"`
+	} `json:"data"`
+}