diff --git a/internal/daemon/reconciler.go b/internal/daemon/reconciler.go
index 7a873336..78db2011 100644
--- a/internal/daemon/reconciler.go
+++ b/internal/daemon/reconciler.go
@@ -204,6 +204,20 @@ func (r *BootcNodeReconciler) reconcileBootcNode(
 		}, nil
 	}
 
+	// The cached status can be stale — for example a read taken while
+	// the node was still settling into the image it just rebooted
+	// into. A booted/desired mismatch leads to destructive action
+	// (stage, reboot), so re-verify it with a live bootc status read
+	// before acting, and keep using the fresh view below.
+	if !image.InfoMatchesDigest(bn.Status.Booted, digested.Digest().String()) {
+		if fresh, err := r.StatusWatcher.RefreshStatus(ctx); err != nil {
+			log.Info("Live bootc status refresh failed, continuing with cached status",
+				"error", err)
+		} else {
+			applyBootcStatus(bn, fresh)
+		}
+	}
+
 	// Nothing to do the desired image matches the booted ones.
 	// Reset the stage backoff to start from a clean state.
 	if image.InfoMatchesDigest(bn.Status.Booted, digested.Digest().String()) {
@@ -370,11 +384,17 @@ func (r *BootcNodeReconciler) populateBootcFields(
 		return fmt.Errorf("getting bootc status: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	applyBootcStatus(bn, status)
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// applyBootcStatus copies the bootc status entries onto the BootcNode
+// status fields.
+func applyBootcStatus(bn *bootcv1alpha1.BootcNode, status *bootc.Status) {
 	bn.Status.Booted = convertBootEntry(status.Status.Booted)
 	bn.Status.Staged = convertBootEntry(status.Status.Staged)
 	bn.Status.Rollback = convertBootEntry(status.Status.Rollback)
-
-	return nil
 }
 
 // updateAction represents the next step the daemon should take for an
diff --git a/internal/daemon/reconciler_test.go b/internal/daemon/reconciler_test.go
index 3ea02aec..dc9d555c 100644
--- a/internal/daemon/reconciler_test.go
+++ b/internal/daemon/reconciler_test.go
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/event"
 
 	bootcv1alpha1 "github.com/bootc-dev/bootc-operator/api/v1alpha1"
 	"github.com/bootc-dev/bootc-operator/internal/bootc"
@@ -383,6 +384,58 @@ func TestRollback(t *testing.T) {
 	g.Expect(fake.getRebooted()).To(BeFalse())
 }
 
+// TestStaleStatusNoSpuriousRestage verifies that a booted/desired
+// mismatch in the watcher's cached status is re-verified with a live
+// bootc status read before the daemon stages or reboots. A stale
+// cache — for example a read taken while the node was still settling
+// into the image it just rebooted into — must not cause the daemon to
+// re-stage and re-reboot an image the node already booted.
+func TestStaleStatusNoSpuriousRestage(t *testing.T) {
+	g := NewWithT(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	// Post-reboot reality: the node is booted on image C. The executor
+	// is what a live bootc status read reports.
+	fake := &fakeExecutor{}
+	fake.status = newBootcStatus(testutil.DigestC)
+
+	// Stale cache: still believes the node is booted on image A.
+	stale := newBootcStatus(testutil.DigestA)
+	watcher := &StatusWatcher{
+		Events:   make(chan event.GenericEvent, 1),
+		NodeName: testNodeName,
+		Executor: fake,
+	}
+	watcher.cached = &stale
+	watcher.started = true
+
+	r := &BootcNodeReconciler{
+		NodeName:      testNodeName,
+		Executor:      fake,
+		StatusWatcher: watcher,
+		stageDone:     make(chan event.GenericEvent, 1),
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		r.inflight.mu.Lock()
+		if r.inflight.cancel != nil {
+			r.inflight.cancel()
+		}
+		r.inflight.mu.Unlock()
+	})
+
+	// The desired image is C, which matches what is actually booted.
+	bn := testutil.NewNode(testNodeName, testutil.ImageDigestRefC)
+
+	res, err := r.reconcileBootcNode(ctx, bn)
+	g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+	g.Expect(res.needsReboot).To(BeFalse(),
+		"must not reboot a node already booted on the desired image")
+	g.Expect(fake.getStageImg()).To(BeEmpty(),
+		"stale cache must not trigger a spurious re-stage of the already-booted image")
+	g.Expect(bn.Status.Booted.ImageDigest).To(Equal(testutil.DigestC),
+		"the live re-read must correct the stale booted status")
+}
+
 func TestCancelInflightStage(t *testing.T) {
 	g := NewWithT(t)
 	g.SetDefaultEventuallyTimeout(pollTimeout)
diff --git a/internal/daemon/watcher.go b/internal/daemon/watcher.go
index 1bfa49ad..bfb01252 100644
--- a/internal/daemon/watcher.go
+++ b/internal/daemon/watcher.go
@@ -53,6 +53,14 @@ func (w *StatusWatcher) GetStatus(ctx context.Context) (*bootc.Status, error) {
 	return s, err
 }
 
+// RefreshStatus reads bootc status live from the host, bypassing and
+// updating the cache, and returns the fresh status. Callers use it to
+// re-verify the cached view before acting on it.
+func (w *StatusWatcher) RefreshStatus(ctx context.Context) (*bootc.Status, error) {
+	s, _, err := w.refresh(ctx)
+	return s, err
+}
+
 // refresh reads bootc status from the host and updates the cache.
 // Returns the new status, if the cache has changed or an error.
 func (w *StatusWatcher) refresh(ctx context.Context) (*bootc.Status, bool, error) {