diff --git a/packages/presence/src/routes.ts b/packages/presence/src/routes.ts
index 6cac53f83..484d9362d 100644
--- a/packages/presence/src/routes.ts
+++ b/packages/presence/src/routes.ts
@@ -175,19 +175,23 @@ export function createPresenceRoutes(
     const surface = c.req.param("surface");
     const key = { tenantId: tenant.id, surface };
 
-    registry.sweepStale(heartbeatTimeoutMs, now());
-
     let patch: PresenceStatePatch = {};
     if (body.cursor !== undefined) patch = { ...patch, cursor: body.cursor };
     if (body.typing !== undefined) patch = { ...patch, typing: body.typing };
-    const states = registry.heartbeat(key, principal.id, patch, now());
-    if (states === undefined) {
+    // Refresh this principal's `lastSeenAt` *before* sweeping: this
+    // request arriving is itself proof of liveness, so the sweep below
+    // must judge staleness against the fresh timestamp, never the
+    // pre-request one — otherwise a heartbeat landing a moment past
+    // `heartbeatTimeoutMs` (ordinary jitter) would evict its own sender.
+    const heartbeatResult = registry.heartbeat(key, principal.id, patch, now());
+    if (heartbeatResult === undefined) {
       return c.json(
         errorEnvelope("not_joined", "principal has not joined this room"),
         404,
       );
     }
-    return c.json({ members: states });
+    registry.sweepStale(heartbeatTimeoutMs, now());
+    return c.json({ members: registry.states(key) });
   });
 
   app.post(
diff --git a/packages/presence/test/routes.test.ts b/packages/presence/test/routes.test.ts
index 5474d1951..9e4b5f534 100644
--- a/packages/presence/test/routes.test.ts
+++ b/packages/presence/test/routes.test.ts
@@ -85,6 +85,98 @@ describe("presence routes", () => {
     expect(response.status).toBe(404);
   });
 
+  test("a heartbeat arriving just past the timeout boundary does not evict its own sender", async () => {
+    let clock = 0;
+    const registry = createPresenceRoomRegistry();
+    const app = mountAs(
+      createPresenceRoutes({
+        registry,
+        requireGrant: allowAll,
+        now: () => clock,
+      }),
+      {
+        tenantId: "tnt_a",
+        principalId: "prn_alice",
+      },
+    );
+
+    await app.request(`/rooms/${SURFACE}/join`, {
+      method: "POST",
+      headers: { "content-type": "application/json" },
+      body: "{}",
+    });
+
+    // One second past the default 45s heartbeat timeout: normal jitter
+    // (a slow network tick, a throttled background tab), not a genuinely
+    // stale client — the heartbeat that arrives now is itself proof the
+    // sender is alive.
+    clock = 46_000;
+    const response = await app.request(`/rooms/${SURFACE}/heartbeat`, {
+      method: "POST",
+      headers: { "content-type": "application/json" },
+      body: "{}",
+    });
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+    const body = (await response.json()) as {
+      members: JoinResponseBody["members"];
+    };
+    expect(body.members.map((m) => m.principalId)).toEqual(["prn_alice"]);
+  });
+
+  test("a heartbeat still sweeps a genuinely stale, different principal out of the response", async () => {
+    let clock = 0;
+    const registry = createPresenceRoomRegistry();
+    const alice = mountAs(
+      createPresenceRoutes({
+        registry,
+        requireGrant: allowAll,
+        now: () => clock,
+      }),
+      {
+        tenantId: "tnt_a",
+        principalId: "prn_alice",
+      },
+    );
+    const bob = mountAs(
+      createPresenceRoutes({
+        registry,
+        requireGrant: allowAll,
+        now: () => clock,
+      }),
+      {
+        tenantId: "tnt_a",
+        principalId: "prn_bob",
+      },
+    );
+
+    await alice.request(`/rooms/${SURFACE}/join`, {
+      method: "POST",
+      headers: { "content-type": "application/json" },
+      body: "{}",
+    });
+    await bob.request(`/rooms/${SURFACE}/join`, {
+      method: "POST",
+      headers: { "content-type": "application/json" },
+      body: "{}",
+    });
+
+    // Bob never heartbeats again; alice's next heartbeat lands well past
+    // the timeout for bob, but only 1ms past it for herself.
+    clock = 46_000;
+    const response = await alice.request(`/rooms/${SURFACE}/heartbeat`, {
+      method: "POST",
+      headers: { "content-type": "application/json" },
+      body: "{}",
+    });
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+    const body = (await response.json()) as {
+      members: JoinResponseBody["members"];
+    };
+    expect(body.members.map((m) => m.principalId)).toEqual(["prn_alice"]);
+  });
+
   test("an invalid join body is rejected with 400", async () => {
     const app = mountAs(createPresenceRoutes({ requireGrant: allowAll }), {
       tenantId: "tnt_a",