diff --git a/src/review/auto-apply.ts b/src/review/auto-apply.ts
index 33e196659..ad3f0661d 100644
--- a/src/review/auto-apply.ts
+++ b/src/review/auto-apply.ts
@@ -276,10 +276,14 @@ async function loadShadowOverrideRow(env: StorageEnv, project: string): Promise<
 /** Write a recommended override to the SHADOW queue with a future validated_until (the soak deadline). MERGED
  *  over any existing shadow row so a partial write never erases a prior queued tunable. (#partial-overwrite-fix)
  *  Preserves any existing clear_at rather than silently nulling it via INSERT OR REPLACE (#stale-clear-at-fix). */
-export async function writeShadowOverride(env: StorageEnv, project: string, o: TunableOverride, validatedUntilIso: string): Promise<void> {
+export async function writeShadowOverride(env: StorageEnv, project: string, o: TunableOverride, validatedUntilIso: string, nowIso?: string): Promise<void> {
   const existingRow = await loadShadowOverrideRow(env, project);
-  const merged = mergeOverride(existingRow ? rowToOverride(existingRow) : null, o);
-  const clearAt = existingRow?.clear_at ?? null;
+  // #10291: mirror writeLiveOverride exactly. Thread nowIso through the merge read AND the clear_at
+  // preservation so an already-lapsed clear_at is DROPPED rather than resurrected — the shadow side only
+  // ported the "preserve the column" half of the #stale-clear-at-fix, not the "drop it once expired" half,
+  // so a stale shadow tightening could be promoted to live after its own operator-set expiry had passed.
+  const merged = mergeOverride(existingRow ? rowToOverride(existingRow, nowIso) : null, o);
+  const clearAt = existingRow && !clearAtIsExpired(existingRow.clear_at, nowIso) ? existingRow.clear_at : null;
   await storage(env)
     .prepare(
       "INSERT OR REPLACE INTO tunables_overrides_shadow (project, confidence_floor, scope_cap_files, scope_cap_lines, applied_at, validated_until, clear_at) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP, ?, ?)",
@@ -289,10 +293,12 @@ export async function writeShadowOverride(env: StorageEnv, project: string, o: T
 }
 
 /** Load the pending shadow override for a project (null if none / DB error). */
-export async function loadShadowOverride(env: StorageEnv, project: string): Promise<ShadowOverride | null> {
+export async function loadShadowOverride(env: StorageEnv, project: string, nowIso?: string): Promise<ShadowOverride | null> {
   const row = await loadShadowOverrideRow(env, project);
   if (!row) return null;
-  const override = rowToOverride(row);
+  // #10291: thread nowIso (mirroring loadOverride) so a shadow row whose clear_at has already lapsed is read
+  // back as cleared, not still-active — rowToOverride applies the same clearAtIsExpired rule the live read uses.
+  const override = rowToOverride(row, nowIso);
   return override ? { override, validatedUntil: row.validated_until } : null;
 }
 
diff --git a/test/unit/auto-apply.test.ts b/test/unit/auto-apply.test.ts
index 1328582fb..85a4a4d56 100644
--- a/test/unit/auto-apply.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/auto-apply.test.ts
@@ -612,6 +612,25 @@ describe("writeShadowOverride / loadShadowOverride / deleteShadowOverride", () =
     await writeShadowOverride(env, "g", { confidenceFloor: 0.95 }, "2026-06-25T00:00:00Z");
     expect(tables.shadow.get("g")?.clear_at).toBe("2099-01-01T00:00:00Z");
   });
+  // #10291: the shadow pair only ported the "preserve the column" half of #stale-clear-at-fix, not the
+  // "drop it once expired" half — mirror the live-side "does NOT resurrect an ALREADY-EXPIRED override" test.
+  it("#10291: writeShadowOverride DROPS an already-expired clear_at (and does not resurrect the expired floor) when nowIso is passed", async () => {
+    const { env, tables } = fakeEnv();
+    tables.shadow.set("g", { confidence_floor: 0.8, scope_cap_files: null, scope_cap_lines: null, validated_until: "2026-06-19T00:00:00Z", clear_at: "2020-01-01T00:00:00Z" });
+    await writeShadowOverride(env, "g", { scopeCap: { files: 3, lines: 100 } }, "2026-06-25T00:00:00Z", "2026-06-20T00:00:00Z");
+    const row = tables.shadow.get("g");
+    expect(row?.clear_at).toBeNull(); // the lapsed clear_at is dropped, not carried forward
+    expect(row?.confidence_floor).toBeNull(); // the expired floor is not resurrected into the merge
+    expect(row?.scope_cap_files).toBe(3); // the new write still applies normally
+  });
+  it("#10291: loadShadowOverride reads an already-expired clear_at row as cleared when nowIso is after it", async () => {
+    const { env, tables } = fakeEnv();
+    // Only a confidence_floor gated by an expired clear_at: rowToOverride drops it → the override is empty → null.
+    tables.shadow.set("g", { confidence_floor: 0.8, scope_cap_files: null, scope_cap_lines: null, validated_until: "2026-06-19T00:00:00Z", clear_at: "2020-01-01T00:00:00Z" });
+    expect(await loadShadowOverride(env, "g", "2026-06-20T00:00:00Z")).toBeNull();
+    // Without nowIso (the pre-#10291 caller convention) the row is still read active — additive, non-breaking.
+    expect(await loadShadowOverride(env, "g")).not.toBeNull();
+  });
   it("loadShadowOverride returns null when the row maps to an EMPTY override (rowToOverride → null arm)", async () => {
     const { env, tables } = fakeEnv();
     tables.shadow.set("g", { confidence_floor: null, scope_cap_files: null, scope_cap_lines: null, validated_until: "2026-06-25T00:00:00Z" });