diff -r bea3fb9b867f -r ddc5aec03c4c src/cli.reef
--- a/src/cli.reef	Wed Jul 15 16:07:25 2026 -0500
+++ b/src/cli.reef	Wed Jul 15 16:14:46 2026 -0500
@@ -1084,17 +1084,23 @@
 
     let _ol: bool = log.open_log(reg.defaults.logdir, new_name, "rename")
 
-    // Inspect container run-state for both names.
-    mut state_old: string = "MISSING"
+    // Inspect container run-state for both names. A probe FAILURE (incus
+    // unreachable) must abort before any mutation — otherwise we'd move the
+    // repo dir + registry while skipping the container rename, silently
+    // creating exactly the drift this command exists to fix. A confirmed-empty
+    // result (Ok "MISSING") is genuine absence and is handled normally.
     let so_r = incus.container_state(inc_project, old)
-    if rg.is_ok(so_r)
-        state_old = rg.unwrap_ok(so_r)
+    if rg.is_err(so_r)
+        log.write("repoman: error: cannot query container state for '" + old + "': " + rg.unwrap_err(so_r))
+        return 1
     end if
-    mut state_new: string = "MISSING"
+    let state_old: string = rg.unwrap_ok(so_r)
     let sn_r = incus.container_state(inc_project, new_name)
-    if rg.is_ok(sn_r)
-        state_new = rg.unwrap_ok(sn_r)
+    if rg.is_err(sn_r)
+        log.write("repoman: error: cannot query container state for '" + new_name + "': " + rg.unwrap_err(sn_r))
+        return 1
     end if
+    let state_new: string = rg.unwrap_ok(sn_r)
     if state_old != "MISSING" and state_new != "MISSING"
         log.write("repoman: error: containers '" + old + "' and '" + new_name + "' both exist; refusing to merge")
         return 1
@@ -1181,7 +1187,9 @@
     if coupled and do_history
         let old_slug: string = claude_slug_dir(home, old_dir)
         let new_slug: string = claude_slug_dir(home, new_dir)
-        if paths.is_dir(old_slug) and not paths.is_dir(new_slug)
+        if paths.is_dir(old_slug) and paths.is_dir(new_slug)
+            log.write("repoman: warning: both claude history dirs exist; leaving " + old_slug + " in place")
+        elif paths.is_dir(old_slug)
             log.write("==> mv claude history " + old_slug + " -> " + new_slug)
             let hs_r = iofile.rename(old_slug, new_slug)
             if rg.is_err(hs_r)