diff --git a/STATUS.md b/STATUS.md
index ff9cd496..d325b5fc 100644
--- a/STATUS.md
+++ b/STATUS.md
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ By package, bottom-up along the dependency stack:
 |-------|--------------------------------------|--------|-------|
 | 9.1   | Caching relays                       | DONE   | LRU+TTL object cache (`cache/cache.go`); updates limited to non-existence/properties. A duplicate of a cached Object with a different Forwarding Preference, Subgroup ID, Priority or Payload, or different Immutable Properties (§2.4.2, §12.7), ends the track as malformed (`relay/handler_duplicate.go`); not checked once the first copy left the cache — see Limitations. |
 | 9.2   | Forward handling                     | DONE   | FORWARD flag honoured; Forward=0 pauses delivery. Upstream Forward is set to 1 only when a downstream subscriber forwards, else the relay pauses it (Forward=0) and resumes on the first forwarding subscriber. |
-| 9.3   | Multiple publishers                  | DONE   | Per-track upstreams; dedup by `{GroupID, ObjectID}`. Upstreams of one Subgroup share one downstream stream per subscriber, with the first one's SUBGROUP_HEADER; a later one's Object Properties reopen it with PROPERTIES set, so none are dropped (§2.5). Like a §11.4.3 gap reopen, the reset keeps already-written Objects only where RESET_STREAM_AT is in use; always setting PROPERTIES would avoid it at a byte per Object. |
+| 9.3   | Multiple publishers                  | DONE   | Per-track upstreams; dedup by `{GroupID, ObjectID}`. Upstreams of one Subgroup share one downstream stream per subscriber, with the first one's SUBGROUP_HEADER; a later one's Object Properties reopen it with PROPERTIES set, so none are dropped (§2.5). Like a §11.4.3 gap reopen, the reset keeps already-written Objects only where RESET_STREAM_AT is in use; always setting PROPERTIES would avoid it at a byte per Object. A stream sets FIRST_OBJECT only if it begins below every Object forwarded in its Subgroup (§2.2), remembered for the last 32 Groups across contributors. |
 | 9.4   | Subscriber interactions              | DONE   | Upstream subscription established before SUBSCRIBE_OK; aggregation. |
 | 9.4.1 | Graceful subscriber switchover       | DONE   | GOAWAY grace period (`GoawayTimeout`). |
 | 9.5   | Publisher interactions               | DONE   | PUBLISH_NAMESPACE / PUBLISH with prefix matching (`namespace_registry.go`). |
diff --git a/pkg/relay/handler_fanout.go b/pkg/relay/handler_fanout.go
index 359dd4ee..0e8a02f5 100644
--- a/pkg/relay/handler_fanout.go
+++ b/pkg/relay/handler_fanout.go
@@ -66,8 +66,9 @@ type subgroupWriterSet struct {
 	// lowest is the lowest Object ID forwarded, if forwarded. Objects are
 	// published in ascending order (§2.2), so a FIRST_OBJECT claim (§11.4.2)
 	// for a higher ID is wrong, whether or not a given subscriber got the
-	// lower one. It lives only as long as the set: after every contributor
-	// left, a new one's claim is not checked against earlier Objects.
+	// lower one. A new set starts from the ledger's
+	// ([registry.TrackEntry.LowestForwarded]), so it holds across contributors
+	// within the ledger's window.
 	lowest    uint64
 	forwarded bool
 
@@ -247,8 +248,14 @@ func (h *sessionHandler) runFanout(ctx context.Context, stream *session.Incoming
 		// double-open. The stream is drained even with no subscribers (§9.7).
 		initialSubs, gen := entry.CopyDownstreamWithGen()
 		pubTimeouts := entry.DeliveryTimeouts()
+		lowest, forwarded := entry.LowestForwarded(hdr.GroupID, hdr.SubgroupID)
 		sg.Mu.Lock()
 		set.gen = gen
+		// The minimum, not an assignment: a contributor that joined the set
+		// before this lock may already have forwarded a lower Object.
+		if forwarded && (!set.forwarded || lowest < set.lowest) {
+			set.lowest, set.forwarded = lowest, true
+		}
 		for _, sub := range initialSubs {
 			h.openWriterForSub(ctx, set.hdr, sub, set.writers, pubTimeouts, ref)
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/relay/handler_fanout_multipub_test.go b/pkg/relay/handler_fanout_multipub_test.go
index a82ce795..1b690198 100644
--- a/pkg/relay/handler_fanout_multipub_test.go
+++ b/pkg/relay/handler_fanout_multipub_test.go
@@ -611,3 +611,77 @@ func TestFanout_MultiPublisher_FirstObjectOnlyForSubgroupsFirst(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+// TestFanout_MultiPublisher_FirstObjectAfterTeardown: the lowest Object
+// forwarded in a Subgroup outlives its contributors, so a later contributor's
+// FIRST_OBJECT claim above it is still not honoured (§11.4.2, §2.2).
+func TestFanout_MultiPublisher_FirstObjectAfterTeardown(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	pubA, teardown := connectRelay(t, relay.Config{})
+	defer teardown()
+	pubB := dialAnotherClient(t, pubA)
+	aPub := publishVideoTrack(t, pubA, "cam1", 1)
+	bPub := publishVideoTrack(t, pubB, "cam1", 2)
+	subSess := newCam1Subscriber(t, pubA)
+
+	type stream struct {
+		hdr message.SubgroupHeader
+		end error
+	}
+	streams := make(chan stream, 2)
+	go func() {
+		for {
+			ds, err := subSess.AcceptDataStream(t.Context())
+			if err != nil {
+				return
+			}
+			sg, ok := ds.(*session.IncomingSubgroupStream)
+			if !ok {
+				return
+			}
+			for {
+				if _, err := sg.ReadObject(); err != nil {
+					streams <- stream{sg.Header, err}
+					break
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}()
+	next := func() stream {
+		t.Helper()
+		select {
+		case s := <-streams:
+			return s
+		case <-time.After(2 * time.Second):
+			t.Fatal("no subgroup stream ended")
+			return stream{}
+		}
+	}
+
+	// A sends Objects 0..2 and resets: a FIN would end the Subgroup there,
+	// making B's Object 3 malformed (§2.4.2).
+	hdr := message.SubgroupHeader{SubgroupIDMode: message.SubgroupIDExplicit}
+	a, err := aPub.OpenSubgroup(hdr)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("A OpenSubgroup: %v", err)
+	}
+	for id := range uint64(3) {
+		if err := a.WriteObjectAt(id, &message.SubgroupObject{Payload: []byte("a")}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("A WriteObjectAt %d: %v", id, err)
+		}
+	}
+	a.Cancel(moqt.StreamResetCancelled)
+	next() // the downstream stream ends once the Subgroup has no contributor
+
+	b, err := bPub.OpenSubgroup(hdr) // FIRST_OBJECT set, starting at Object 3
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("B OpenSubgroup: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := b.WriteObjectAt(3, &message.SubgroupObject{Payload: []byte("b")}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("B WriteObjectAt 3: %v", err)
+	}
+	_ = b.Close()
+	if s := next(); !s.hdr.ReplayingSubgroup {
+		t.Fatal("the stream beginning with Object 3 sets FIRST_OBJECT, though Object 0 was forwarded before it")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/relay/internal/registry/ledger_test.go b/pkg/relay/internal/registry/ledger_test.go
index 7317a992..0ce7deb9 100644
--- a/pkg/relay/internal/registry/ledger_test.go
+++ b/pkg/relay/internal/registry/ledger_test.go
@@ -448,3 +448,24 @@ func TestTrackEntry_LateEndPurgesCache(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+// TestTrackEntry_LowestForwarded: the lowest Object ID forwarded per Subgroup,
+// status Objects included and datagrams not, outlives the writers of the
+// Subgroup so a later FIRST_OBJECT claim can be checked (§11.4.2, §2.2).
+func TestTrackEntry_LowestForwarded(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	e := newTestEntry("lowest")
+	if _, ok := e.LowestForwarded(1, 0); ok {
+		t.Fatal("a Subgroup nothing was forwarded in has a lowest Object")
+	}
+	mustClaim(t, e, registry.ObjectInfo{Group: 1, Object: 5}, true)
+	mustClaim(t, e, registry.ObjectInfo{Group: 1, Object: 3}, true)
+	mustClaim(t, e, registry.ObjectInfo{Group: 1, Object: 1, Datagram: true}, true)
+	mustClaim(t, e, registry.ObjectInfo{Group: 1, Object: 0, Subgroup: 1}, true)
+	mustClaim(t, e, registry.ObjectInfo{Group: 1, Object: 9, Subgroup: 2, Status: message.ObjectStatusEndOfGroup}, true)
+	for _, tc := range []struct{ subgroup, want uint64 }{{0, 3}, {1, 0}, {2, 9}} {
+		if low, ok := e.LowestForwarded(1, tc.subgroup); !ok || low != tc.want {
+			t.Errorf("LowestForwarded(1, %d) = (%d, %v), want (%d, true)", tc.subgroup, low, ok, tc.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/relay/internal/registry/track_entry.go b/pkg/relay/internal/registry/track_entry.go
index 817e9abb..d3e6a323 100644
--- a/pkg/relay/internal/registry/track_entry.go
+++ b/pkg/relay/internal/registry/track_entry.go
@@ -387,6 +387,12 @@ type subgroupLedger struct {
 	maxNormal, maxStatus uint64
 	hasNormal, hasStatus bool
 	end                  end
+	// minObject is the lowest Object ID forwarded, if hasObject: a
+	// FIRST_OBJECT claim above it is wrong (§11.4.2, §2.2). A duplicate
+	// whose first copy was in another Subgroup or a datagram counts too;
+	// that can only clear FIRST_OBJECT, never set it.
+	minObject uint64
+	hasObject bool
 }
 
 // SubgroupEnded records that an inbound subgroup stream ended with a FIN after
@@ -478,6 +484,21 @@ func (e *TrackEntry) RecordDuplicate(o ObjectInfo) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// LowestForwarded reports the lowest Object ID forwarded in Subgroup
+// (group, subgroup), if any, within the window. The writers of a Subgroup
+// forget it when its last contributor leaves; this keeps it for a later
+// contributor's FIRST_OBJECT claim (§11.4.2, §2.2).
+func (e *TrackEntry) LowestForwarded(group, subgroup uint64) (uint64, bool) {
+	e.deliveredMu.Lock()
+	defer e.deliveredMu.Unlock()
+	g := e.delivered[group]
+	if g == nil {
+		return 0, false
+	}
+	sg := g.subgroups[subgroup]
+	return sg.minObject, sg.hasObject
+}
+
 // groupEnd reports where o ends its Group (see [end]), if it does: an
 // END_OF_GROUP or END_OF_TRACK status at M at M (§11.2.1.1); a datagram's
 // END_OF_GROUP bit on Object N at N+1, which §2.4.2's non-exhaustive list does
@@ -631,6 +652,9 @@ func (e *TrackEntry) recordEndsLocked(g *deliveredGroup, o ObjectInfo) {
 	} else {
 		sg.maxStatus, sg.hasStatus = max(sg.maxStatus, o.Object), true
 	}
+	if !sg.hasObject || o.Object < sg.minObject {
+		sg.minObject, sg.hasObject = o.Object, true
+	}
 	g.subgroups[o.Subgroup] = sg
 }