diff --git a/crates/buzz-db/src/store/channel.rs b/crates/buzz-db/src/store/channel.rs
index 9b12d1533a..e984314d0a 100644
--- a/crates/buzz-db/src/store/channel.rs
+++ b/crates/buzz-db/src/store/channel.rs
@@ -915,9 +915,9 @@ pub async fn update_channel(
     }
     if policy_changed {
         sqlx::query(
-            "UPDATE communities SET artifact_policy_modified_at=clock_timestamp() WHERE id=$1 AND (EXISTS(SELECT 1 FROM artifact_heads WHERE community_id=$1 AND channel_id=$2) OR EXISTS(SELECT 1 FROM artifact_revisions WHERE community_id=$1 AND source_channel_id=$2))",
+            "UPDATE communities SET artifact_policy_modified_at=clock_timestamp() WHERE id=$1",
         )
-        .bind(community_id.as_uuid()).bind(channel_id)
+        .bind(community_id.as_uuid())
         .execute(tx.conn())
         .await?;
     }
@@ -1119,9 +1119,9 @@ pub async fn soft_delete_channel(
 
     if result.rows_affected() > 0 {
         sqlx::query(
-            "UPDATE communities SET artifact_policy_modified_at=clock_timestamp() WHERE id=$1 AND (EXISTS(SELECT 1 FROM artifact_heads WHERE community_id=$1 AND channel_id=$2) OR EXISTS(SELECT 1 FROM artifact_revisions WHERE community_id=$1 AND source_channel_id=$2))",
+            "UPDATE communities SET artifact_policy_modified_at=clock_timestamp() WHERE id=$1",
         )
-        .bind(community_id.as_uuid()).bind(channel_id)
+        .bind(community_id.as_uuid())
         .execute(tx.conn())
         .await?;
     }
diff --git a/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/artifact_postgres_tests/sync_access_postgres_tests.rs b/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/artifact_postgres_tests/sync_access_postgres_tests.rs
index 03dcdef264..0855cd1c3a 100644
--- a/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/artifact_postgres_tests/sync_access_postgres_tests.rs
+++ b/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/artifact_postgres_tests/sync_access_postgres_tests.rs
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ async fn sync_rejoin_replays_old_heads_without_resetting_on_task_edits() {
 
 #[tokio::test]
 #[ignore = "requires Postgres"]
-async fn sync_ignores_unrelated_ttl_and_unchanged_visibility() {
+async fn sync_ignores_unchanged_visibility_and_resets_on_ttl_changes() {
     let _guard = SERIAL.lock().await;
     let f = fixture().await;
     accept(&f, &f.revision(Uuid::new_v4(), "create", None)).await;
@@ -143,6 +143,8 @@ async fn sync_ignores_unrelated_ttl_and_unchanged_visibility() {
     )
     .await
     .unwrap();
+    let renamed = sync(&f, Some(&first["checkpoint"])).await;
+    assert!(renamed["checkpoint"].is_string());
     buzz_db::channel::update_channel(
         &f.pool,
         f.community,
@@ -154,7 +156,15 @@ async fn sync_ignores_unrelated_ttl_and_unchanged_visibility() {
     )
     .await
     .unwrap();
-    let next = sync(&f, Some(&first["checkpoint"])).await;
+    let (status, reset) = f
+        .request(
+            "/query",
+            json!([{"artifact":"sync","query":query(),"checkpoint":renamed["checkpoint"]}]),
+        )
+        .await;
+    assert_eq!(status, StatusCode::CONFLICT);
+    assert_eq!(reset["reason"], "policy_changed");
+    let next = sync(&f, None).await;
     assert!(next["checkpoint"].is_string());
     accept(
         &f,
diff --git a/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/artifact_postgres_tests/sync_policy_postgres_tests.rs b/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/artifact_postgres_tests/sync_policy_postgres_tests.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..954a313cd6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/artifact_postgres_tests/sync_policy_postgres_tests.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+use super::*;
+
+#[tokio::test]
+#[ignore = "requires Postgres"]
+async fn sync_resets_for_first_artifact_during_channel_transition() {
+    let _guard = SERIAL.lock().await;
+    for delete_channel in [false, true] {
+        let f = fixture().await;
+        let mut blocker = f.pool.begin().await.unwrap();
+        let blocker_pid: i32 = sqlx::query_scalar("SELECT pg_backend_pid()")
+            .fetch_one(&mut *blocker)
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        sqlx::query("SELECT id FROM communities WHERE id=$1 FOR NO KEY UPDATE")
+            .bind(f.community.as_uuid())
+            .fetch_one(&mut *blocker)
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        let pool = f.pool.clone();
+        let community = f.community;
+        let home = f.home;
+        let transition = tokio::spawn(async move {
+            if delete_channel {
+                assert!(
+                    buzz_db::channel::soft_delete_channel(&pool, community, home)
+                        .await
+                        .unwrap()
+                );
+            } else {
+                buzz_db::channel::update_channel(
+                    &pool,
+                    community,
+                    home,
+                    buzz_db::channel::ChannelUpdate {
+                        visibility: Some("private".into()),
+                        ..Default::default()
+                    },
+                )
+                .await
+                .unwrap();
+            }
+        });
+        tokio::time::timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(2), async {
+            loop {
+                assert!(!transition.is_finished(), "an empty channel must still advance the recovery marker");
+                let blocked: bool = sqlx::query_scalar("SELECT EXISTS(SELECT 1 FROM pg_stat_activity WHERE $1=ANY(pg_blocking_pids(pid)) AND query LIKE 'UPDATE communities SET artifact_policy_modified_at=%')")
+                    .bind(blocker_pid).fetch_one(&f.pool).await.unwrap();
+                if blocked { break; }
+                tokio::task::yield_now().await;
+            }
+        }).await.expect("channel transition reaches the recovery marker");
+        let id = Uuid::new_v4();
+        let event = f.revision(id, "create", None);
+        tokio::time::timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(2), accept(&f, &event))
+            .await
+            .expect("first artifact commits while the channel transition is uncommitted");
+        let (status, first) = f
+            .request_as(
+                &f.peer,
+                "/query",
+                json!([{"artifact":"sync","query":query()}]),
+            )
+            .await;
+        assert!(status.is_success(), "{status}: {first}");
+        assert_eq!(first["changes"][0]["event"]["id"], event.id.to_hex());
+        blocker.commit().await.unwrap();
+        transition.await.unwrap();
+        let (status, next) = f
+            .request_as(
+                &f.peer,
+                "/query",
+                json!([{"artifact":"sync","query":query(),"checkpoint":first["checkpoint"]}]),
+            )
+            .await;
+        assert_eq!(status, StatusCode::CONFLICT);
+        assert_eq!(next["reason"], "policy_changed");
+        assert!(!next.to_string().contains(&f.home.to_string()));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/artifact_postgres_tests/sync_postgres_tests.rs b/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/artifact_postgres_tests/sync_postgres_tests.rs
index 751ca3cd04..3a776dc158 100644
--- a/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/artifact_postgres_tests/sync_postgres_tests.rs
+++ b/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/artifact_postgres_tests/sync_postgres_tests.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ use super::*;
 use axum::http::StatusCode;
 #[path = "sync_access_postgres_tests.rs"]
 mod access_postgres_tests;
+#[path = "sync_policy_postgres_tests.rs"]
+mod policy_postgres_tests;
 #[path = "sync_scale_postgres_tests.rs"]
 mod scale_postgres_tests;
 
diff --git a/docs/artifact-sync-deployment.md b/docs/artifact-sync-deployment.md
index 719f1f46ca..1b68c7e9b2 100644
--- a/docs/artifact-sync-deployment.md
+++ b/docs/artifact-sync-deployment.md
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY idx_artifact_revisions_artifact
     ON public.artifact_revisions (community_id, artifact_id);
 ```
 
+Apply `0068_artifact_revision_lookup.sql` in a transaction after that prebuild.
 Then apply `0069_artifact_sync_timestamps.sql` in a
 transaction with its lock and statement budgets. The migration is idempotent
 for this prebuild step. Then build these indexes outside a transaction:
@@ -43,6 +44,11 @@ database can build the indexes under the migration's short budgets.
 Migration `0068` also verifies the exact definition and all three flags.
 Remove an invalid index with `DROP INDEX CONCURRENTLY` before a new build.
 
+After all index builds succeed, run `buzz-admin migrate` with the target
+`DATABASE_URL`. It verifies and records `0068`, reapplies the idempotent `0069`,
+then verifies and records `0070`. Direct SQL application does not record the
+migration ledger.
+
 ## Enable and rollback
 
 Deploy the timestamp writers to every relay instance with the gate off.
diff --git a/docs/nips/NIP-AR.md b/docs/nips/NIP-AR.md
index 1aee61a19b..f91aa0dd67 100644
--- a/docs/nips/NIP-AR.md
+++ b/docs/nips/NIP-AR.md
@@ -195,8 +195,8 @@ or remove. An empty delta does not confirm an accepted edit.
 ### Access recovery and bounds
 
 Relevant channel access changes atomically advance one community policy
-stamp. The check includes channels with current heads or retained move-source
-records. Ordinary artifact writes do not update this stamp. A different stamp
+stamp, including transitions on empty channels. Ordinary artifact writes do
+not update this stamp. A different stamp
 returns HTTP 409 `sync_reset` with `reason: "policy_changed"`, without naming
 private channels. A checkpoint older than 30 days returns the same code with
 `reason: "checkpoint_expired"`.