diff --git a/crates/buzz-acp/src/lib.rs b/crates/buzz-acp/src/lib.rs
index 56f82d7eed..7956e7cde9 100644
--- a/crates/buzz-acp/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/buzz-acp/src/lib.rs
@@ -2854,7 +2854,19 @@ async fn tokio_main() -> Result<()> {
                                     // agent.
                                     let native_attempted = if matches!(signal, ControlSignal::Steer)
                                     {
-                                        if queue::edit_target_id(&event_for_steer).is_some() {
+                                        let is_edit =
+                                            queue::edit_target_id(&event_for_steer).is_some();
+                                        if queue.has_native_steer_reservations(
+                                            buzz_event.channel_id,
+                                        ) {
+                                            tracing::debug!(
+                                                channel_id = %buzz_event.channel_id,
+                                                "native steer preparation already pending; preserving channel order via cancel+merge"
+                                            );
+                                            false
+                                        } else if is_edit
+                                            && pool.native_steer_available(buzz_event.channel_id)
+                                        {
                                             let event_id = event_for_steer.id.to_hex();
                                             let channel_id = buzz_event.channel_id;
                                             match reserve_native_edit_preparation(
@@ -2892,6 +2904,12 @@ async fn tokio_main() -> Result<()> {
                                                     false
                                                 }
                                             }
+                                        } else if is_edit {
+                                            tracing::debug!(
+                                                channel_id = %buzz_event.channel_id,
+                                                "native edit steer unavailable before preparation; falling back to cancel+merge"
+                                            );
+                                            false
                                         } else {
                                             let prompt_blocks =
                                                 pool::format_native_steer_prompt_sync(
diff --git a/crates/buzz-acp/src/pool.rs b/crates/buzz-acp/src/pool.rs
index 51c7625ff5..fda4699378 100644
--- a/crates/buzz-acp/src/pool.rs
+++ b/crates/buzz-acp/src/pool.rs
@@ -699,6 +699,21 @@ impl AgentPool {
         &mut self.task_map
     }
 
+    /// Return whether the current channel task can accept a native steer now.
+    ///
+    /// This is a main-loop preflight for edit enrichment: avoid withholding an
+    /// edit and performing REST work when the task has no steer transport or
+    /// its capacity-one request slot is already occupied. Availability can
+    /// still change while enrichment runs, so callers must retain the normal
+    /// send-time fallback.
+    pub fn native_steer_available(&self, channel_id: Uuid) -> bool {
+        self.task_map
+            .values()
+            .find(|meta| meta.channel_id == Some(channel_id))
+            .and_then(|meta| meta.steer_tx.as_ref())
+            .is_some_and(|tx| !tx.is_closed() && tx.capacity() > 0)
+    }
+
     /// Try to send a goose-native steer request to the in-flight task for
     /// `channel_id`.
     ///
diff --git a/crates/buzz-acp/src/queue.rs b/crates/buzz-acp/src/queue.rs
index d9fb1d38b6..ba99f47e75 100644
--- a/crates/buzz-acp/src/queue.rs
+++ b/crates/buzz-acp/src/queue.rs
@@ -751,6 +751,13 @@ impl EventQueue {
         true
     }
 
+    /// Return whether this channel has any native-steer reservation in flight.
+    pub fn has_native_steer_reservations(&self, channel_id: Uuid) -> bool {
+        self.withheld_native_steer
+            .get(&channel_id)
+            .is_some_and(|entries| !entries.is_empty())
+    }
+
     /// Return whether this exact event still owns a native-steer reservation.
     ///
     /// Async edit preparation uses this at completion time: deadline recovery,
@@ -4856,6 +4863,8 @@ mod tests {
         q.in_flight_deadlines.insert(ch, Instant::now());
         q.in_flight_batch_sizes.insert(ch, 1);
         assert!(q.mark_native_steer_pending(ch, &event_id));
+        assert!(q.has_native_steer_reservations(ch));
+        assert!(q.has_native_steer_reservation(ch, &event_id));
 
         // Force the in-flight deadline to be in the past, simulating the
         // steer ack never arriving and the read loop hanging long enough
@@ -4873,6 +4882,8 @@ mod tests {
 
         // The withheld event has been moved back to `queues[ch]`.
         assert!(q.withheld_native_steer.is_empty());
+        assert!(!q.has_native_steer_reservations(ch));
+        assert!(!q.has_native_steer_reservation(ch, &event_id));
         assert_eq!(pending_count(&q), 1);
 
         // Normal dispatch delivers it.