diff --git a/bastion/src/labd/src/routes/bastions.ts b/bastion/src/labd/src/routes/bastions.ts
index 1903534..d77a417 100644
--- a/bastion/src/labd/src/routes/bastions.ts
+++ b/bastion/src/labd/src/routes/bastions.ts
@@ -84,7 +84,6 @@ export function registerBastionRoutes(app: FastifyInstance, db: DbClient): void
   app.get("/api/machines", async () => {
     const live = bastionRegistry.getAggregatedState();
 
-    // Merge DB records for machines not currently in any bastion's live state
     try {
       const dbServers = (await db.server.findMany({})) as Array<{
         mac: string | null; hostname: string; role: string; ip: string | null;
@@ -93,9 +92,49 @@ export function registerBastionRoutes(app: FastifyInstance, db: DbClient): void
       for (const s of dbServers) {
         if (!s.mac) continue;
         const mac = s.mac.toLowerCase();
-        // Only add from DB if not already in live state
+
+        // DB knows this machine has been installed at some point if it has a real
+        // hostname+role (not just product-name-as-hostname and role="unknown").
+        // Status alone is unreliable: a rediscovery can re-set it without erasing the
+        // install identity. If the bastion restarted and lost its installed map, the
+        // machine will only show up in live.discovered — promote it here so the CLI
+        // still sees hostname/role/IP.
+        const dbKnowsInstalled =
+          s.role !== "unknown" && s.role !== "" &&
+          s.hostname !== "" && s.hostname !== s.mac;
+
+        if (dbKnowsInstalled && !(mac in live.installed) && !(mac in live.install_queue)) {
+          const hw = live.discovered[mac];
+          live.installed[mac] = {
+            hostname: s.hostname,
+            role: s.role,
+            ip: s.ip ?? "",
+            installed_at: "",
+            bastionId: hw?.bastionId ?? "db",
+            ...(hw ? {
+              product: hw.product,
+              manufacturer: hw.manufacturer,
+              cpu_model: hw.cpu_model,
+              cpu_cores: hw.cpu_cores,
+              memory_gb: hw.memory_gb,
+              arch: hw.arch,
+            } : {}),
+          };
+          delete live.discovered[mac];
+          continue;
+        }
+
+        // Unknown-to-live MAC: fall back to whatever the DB says.
         if (!(mac in live.discovered) && !(mac in live.install_queue) && !(mac in live.installed)) {
-          if (s.status === "discovered") {
+          if (s.status === "online" || s.status === "offline") {
+            live.installed[mac] = {
+              hostname: s.hostname,
+              role: s.role,
+              ip: s.ip ?? "",
+              installed_at: "",
+              bastionId: "db",
+            };
+          } else {
             live.discovered[mac] = {
               mac,
               product: String(s.labels?.product ?? "unknown"),
@@ -112,14 +151,6 @@ export function registerBastionRoutes(app: FastifyInstance, db: DbClient): void
               last_seen: "",
               bastionId: "db",
             };
-          } else if (s.status === "online" || s.status === "offline") {
-            live.installed[mac] = {
-              hostname: s.hostname,
-              role: s.role,
-              ip: s.ip ?? "",
-              installed_at: "",
-              bastionId: "db",
-            };
           }
         }
       }
diff --git a/bastion/src/labd/src/server.ts b/bastion/src/labd/src/server.ts
index b4ac77a..9da02bb 100644
--- a/bastion/src/labd/src/server.ts
+++ b/bastion/src/labd/src/server.ts
@@ -192,7 +192,9 @@ export async function createApp(_config: LabdConfig, db: DbClient): Promise<{
                           labels: { cpu: hw.cpu_model, cores: hw.cpu_cores, memory_gb: hw.memory_gb, arch: hw.arch, product: hw.product, manufacturer: hw.manufacturer },
                         },
                         update: {
-                          status: "discovered",
+                          // Leave status alone — a previously "online"/"offline" record
+                          // must not be downgraded to "discovered" just because the bastion
+                          // restarted and re-discovered the MAC via DHCP/PXE.
                           lastHeartbeat: new Date(),
                           labels: { cpu: hw.cpu_model, cores: hw.cpu_cores, memory_gb: hw.memory_gb, arch: hw.arch, product: hw.product, manufacturer: hw.manufacturer },
                         },
diff --git a/bastion/src/labd/tests/bastions-machines.test.ts b/bastion/src/labd/tests/bastions-machines.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2b52cc7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bastion/src/labd/tests/bastions-machines.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach } from "vitest";
+import Fastify from "fastify";
+import { registerBastionRoutes } from "../src/routes/bastions.js";
+import { bastionRegistry } from "../src/services/bastion-registry.js";
+import type { DbClient } from "../src/server.js";
+import type { BastionState } from "@lab/shared";
+
+function createMockDb(servers: unknown[] = []): DbClient {
+  return {
+    $queryRaw: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([{ "?column?": 1 }]),
+    server: {
+      findMany: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(servers),
+      findUnique: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
+      upsert: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({}),
+    },
+    joinToken: {
+      findUnique: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
+      findMany: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([]),
+      create: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ id: "t" }),
+      update: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({}),
+    },
+    bastion: {
+      upsert: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({}),
+      findMany: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([]),
+      findUnique: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
+      update: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({}),
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+function registerFakeBastion(bastionId: string, state: BastionState): void {
+  bastionRegistry.register({
+    bastionId,
+    hostname: "fake",
+    network: "192.168.8.0/24",
+    serverIp: "192.168.8.11",
+    // socket is referenced only on commands, not during aggregation
+    socket: { on: () => undefined, off: () => undefined, send: () => undefined, close: () => undefined } as never,
+    connectedAt: new Date(),
+    lastHeartbeat: new Date(),
+    state,
+  });
+}
+
+describe("GET /api/machines aggregation", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    for (const b of bastionRegistry.getAll()) bastionRegistry.unregister(b.bastionId);
+  });
+
+  it("promotes a live-discovered MAC to installed when the DB has a real hostname+role for it", async () => {
+    // Simulates the worker0-k8s0 bug: bastion restarted, lost its installed map,
+    // rediscovered the machine via DHCP/PXE. DB still has hostname=worker0-k8s0,
+    // role=infra, ip=192.168.8.23. Without the fix, the CLI sees a "discovered"
+    // row with no hostname/role/IP. With the fix, the row is promoted to
+    // "installed" with full identity preserved.
+    const mac = "78:55:36:08:28:fb";
+    registerFakeBastion("b1", {
+      discovered: {
+        [mac]: {
+          mac, product: "SER", board: "SER", serial: "x", manufacturer: "AZW",
+          cpu_model: "AMD Ryzen 7 255", cpu_cores: 16, memory_gb: 58, arch: "x86_64",
+          disks: [], nics: [], first_seen: "", last_seen: "",
+        },
+      },
+      install_queue: {},
+      installed: {},
+      debug: {},
+    });
+
+    const app = Fastify({ logger: false });
+    const db = createMockDb([
+      { mac, hostname: "worker0-k8s0", role: "infra", ip: "192.168.8.23", status: "discovered", labels: {} },
+    ]);
+    registerBastionRoutes(app, db);
+
+    const res = await app.inject({ method: "GET", url: "/api/machines" });
+    expect(res.statusCode).toBe(200);
+    const body = JSON.parse(res.body);
+
+    expect(body.discovered[mac]).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(body.installed[mac]).toMatchObject({
+      hostname: "worker0-k8s0",
+      role: "infra",
+      ip: "192.168.8.23",
+      cpu_model: "AMD Ryzen 7 255",
+      cpu_cores: 16,
+      memory_gb: 58,
+    });
+
+    await app.close();
+  });
+
+  it("leaves a fresh-discovery MAC in discovered when DB only has a discovery-shaped record", async () => {
+    const mac = "aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff";
+    registerFakeBastion("b1", {
+      discovered: {
+        [mac]: {
+          mac, product: "SER", board: "SER", serial: "x", manufacturer: "AZW",
+          cpu_model: "AMD Ryzen 7", cpu_cores: 8, memory_gb: 32, arch: "x86_64",
+          disks: [], nics: [], first_seen: "", last_seen: "",
+        },
+      },
+      install_queue: {},
+      installed: {},
+      debug: {},
+    });
+
+    const app = Fastify({ logger: false });
+    // Matches what labd writes on first discovery: hostname=product, role="unknown"
+    const db = createMockDb([
+      { mac, hostname: "SER", role: "unknown", ip: null, status: "discovered", labels: {} },
+    ]);
+    registerBastionRoutes(app, db);
+
+    const res = await app.inject({ method: "GET", url: "/api/machines" });
+    const body = JSON.parse(res.body);
+
+    expect(body.discovered[mac]).toBeDefined();
+    expect(body.installed[mac]).toBeUndefined();
+
+    await app.close();
+  });
+
+  it("falls back to DB for MACs not in any live bucket", async () => {
+    const mac = "11:22:33:44:55:66";
+    // No bastions connected
+    const app = Fastify({ logger: false });
+    const db = createMockDb([
+      { mac, hostname: "worker1-k8s0", role: "infra", ip: "192.168.8.13", status: "online", labels: {} },
+    ]);
+    registerBastionRoutes(app, db);
+
+    const res = await app.inject({ method: "GET", url: "/api/machines" });
+    const body = JSON.parse(res.body);
+
+    expect(body.installed[mac]).toMatchObject({
+      hostname: "worker1-k8s0",
+      role: "infra",
+      ip: "192.168.8.13",
+    });
+
+    await app.close();
+  });
+});